A rare plant found only in the wet forests of eastern Moloka'i — known only by its scientific name Phyllostegia hispida — was designated an endangered species today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Now that this rare plant species is protected by both federal and state laws, it is our hope that it will come to the forefront of public attention along with Hawai'i's other numerous endangered plants," said Patrick Leonard, field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service's Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office.

Phyllostegia hispida has rarely been seen in the wild, according to the fish and wildlife service.

From 1910 to 1996, a total of 10 individuals were recorded, but in subsequent years died for various reasons. Since 1997, surveys failed to locate additional individuals and the species was thought to be extirpated until 2005 when two seedlings were discovered at The Nature Conservancy's Kamakou Preserve.

Since 2007, 24 wild plants have been discovered (23 in the Kamakou Preserve, one in the state's Pu'u Ali'i Natural Area Reserve), and more than 100 individuals produced from cuttings have been outplanted in the Kamakou Preserve. A total of 238 plants are known to exist today.

The plants' low numbers make it particularly susceptible to extinction from random events such as hurricanes and disease outbreaks, according to the fish and wildlife service. Other major threats are predation and habitat degradation by feral pigs and competition with invasive, non-native plants.

Phyllostegia hispida has been a candidate for the endangered species list since 1997. Federal listing of Phyllostegia hispida automatically invokes state listing under Hawai'i's endangered species law.

Conservation measures have been taken and continue today to protect the species. A variety of organizations such as the University of Hawaii's Lyon Arboretum on O'ahu, the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua'i, and Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Moloka'i are propagating plants that may be used for outplanting into suitable habitat. Land managers from Hawai'i's Department of Land and Natural Resources have fenced some plants to protect them from feral ungulates, and The Nature Conservancy continues to control feral pigs and alien plants within the Kamakou Preserve.

Phyllostegia hispida is a nonaromatic member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is a loosely spreading, many-branched vine that forms large tangled masses, and is known only from the wet forests of eastern Molokai at elevations between 2,300 and 4,200 feet.

Copies of the final rule may be downloaded from the Service's Web site at http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/ or www.regulations.gov. Copies are also available by calling the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office in Honolulu at 808-792-9400.