"Sprawling, tapered limu found on the ridge.” Found at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes), this limu was the smallest of the Croisettea and there was only one sample that was collected, the thinking was to name it for the space and environment that it is found in. Pā, reflects the flat surface of the area it was found amongst all the other limu. Kua references the space in Papahānaumokuākea as an ʻāina akua, as well as the backbone or ridge that is the island chain. Lapa is a play on the word laha, as in limu pālahalaha (Ulva fasciata) which others in the Croisettea genus look like, but also describes the ridge and the slope adjacent to the area that the limu was found.
