Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Compact shrub to shrubby tree 1.5-2.5 m tall.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades oblong–elliptic to elliptic, sometimes elliptic–ovate or elliptic obovate, strongly to moderately concave, 3-10.5 cm long, 2-5 cm wide. Apex obtuse, or rounded with a short–cuspidate tip. Base rounded to weakly subcordate. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces moderately to sparsely short hirtellous, sometimes only along principal veins; blades coriaceous. Margins entire, revolute. Lateral veins strongly to moderately impressed, spreading, moderately to strongly arcuate, higher order venation relatively inconspicuous to conspicuous. Petioles present, 0.1–0.6 cm long. Stipules present, 3–5 mm long, adnate to petioles only at base.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal, congested paniculate inflorescence 1.3–5 cm long, peduncle 10–13 mm long, usually hispidulous, secondary branches more or less hispidulous, pedicels 0.8 – 3 mm long, usually glabrous. Flowers insect-pollinated, bisexual (perfect). Calyx 4-5-lobed, lobes deltate, 1–1.4 mm long, spreading, glabrous. Corolla green, the tube sometimes purple, fleshy, fusiform in bud, salverform, the tube (4.3–)5.5–11 mm long, glabrous, the limb gradually expanded, weakly quadrangular, the lobes linear, 3–6 mm long, each with a terminal fleshy appendage; nectary disc present. Stamens as many as and alternate with the corolla lobes, inserted on corolla tube midway or near throat; anthers sessile or on short filaments, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior or partly so, 2(-4)-locular; ovules few to numerous on fleshy placentas near middle of septum; style as many as carpels, cylindrical to filiform, terminal, slender; stigma bilobed or subcapitate, included or exserted.

Fruit: Drupaceous; dark blue to purplish black;4– 7 mm in diameter; the persistent calyx lobes strongly spreading.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring on windswept ridges and upper slopes in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 610–900 m. (Ko‘olau Mountains, O‘ahu); 795–1000 m. (Lāna‘ihale, Lāna‘i)