Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small trees or shrubs 2–7 m tall.

Stems: Branches densely brown short–pilose, the hairs somewhat appressed.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades obovate to elliptic or suborbicular, concave, 2–5 cm long, 1–3.3 cm wide. Apex obtuse, apiculate, or ± retuse. Base cuneate. Upper surfaces densely brown puberulent when young, older leaves glossy, glabrous to brown puberulent near veins; lower surfaces minutely pitted or pustulate, densely brown puberulent, rarely only moderately so; blades coriaceous. Margins strongly revolute. 5–7 pairs of principal lateral veins, 4–10 mm apart, submarginal vein irregular. Petioles 1–4 mm long, brown short–pilose. Stipules vestigial or absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–2 in the leaf axils, pedicels 1–8 mm long, bracts ca. 1–2 mm long, brown puberulent, persistent. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. hypanthium obconical, 2–3 mm long, brown short–pilose. Calyx of 4 sepals, unequal, one pair 3–4 mm long, the other pair 2–3 mm long, adnate to the annular nectary disk within the tube, appressed puberulent toward base. Corolla of 4 petals, white, ovate, obovate, or elliptic, 4–8 mm long, inserted on margin of nectary disk, sparsely puberulent, persistent. Stamens ca. 150, inserted on nectary disk; filaments white, 0.5–5 mm long. Ovary inferior; ovule placentation axile; style short.

Fruit: Berries yellow to red; ovoid; somewhat asymmetrical; 0.8–2 cm long; pericarp fleshy; ca. 1–2 mm thick. Seeds 1(2); globose; 8–9 mm in diameter; coherent to pericarp; distinct from cotyledons; these connate to distinct.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Formerly known from dry gulches and slopes; northern Ko'olau Mountains; O'ahu; from Pupukea to Kaipapa'u; and 2 collections from Mauna Loa; Moloka'i.

Elevation Range: 100–300 m.