Dubautia laevigata

Common Names

Smooth Dubautia

Summary

Smooth dubautia is a shrub native to Kauaʻi, Hawaii, and part of the understory in mesic Hawaiian tropical rainforests. It grows to 2.5 m tall, with erect to occasionally decumbent stems; leaves are opposite, oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 7–24 cm long and 0.8–3.5 cm wide, with upper-half serrate margins and acuminate apex, base often purplish; surfaces are glabrous or show leaf scars appressed ciliolate. Flowers occur in numerous heads (2–5 per glomerule) on elongate-paniculate to subcorymbose inflorescences 3–40 cm long, with yellow corollas 2.5–3 mm; fruit is an achene 2–3 mm long; pappus consists of 15–20 very narrowly linear-lanceolate bristles.

Endemic to Kauaʻi at moderate elevations (575–1,250 m) in mesic wet forests, it is part of the Silversword alliance and has an endangered status with about 5,500 individuals remaining, facing population decline due to invasive species. Phase 1 characteristics do not cover cultivation requirements or uses; practical considerations emphasize its limited distribution and conservation needs.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

8 ft 2 in

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; tolerates partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Winter, Spring, and Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Not specified

Seasons of Interest

Winter, Spring, Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds and Division