Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small trees up to ca. 10 m tall, with an erect or ascending trunk.

Stems: Branching dichotomously or trichotomously, stems conspicuously ringed by persistent leaf scars.

Roots: Supported at base by several to numerous thick, rigid, somewhat prickly ± branched prop roots sometimes descending from branches.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, spiraled 3-ranked, clustered toward the branch ends. Blades linear–ensiform, usually arcuate, sometimes twisted, usually 80–180 cm long, 4–8 cm wide, midrib keeled on lower surface, ± with small retrorse or antrorse prickles. Apex attenuate. Base sheathing or clasping the stem. Surfaces usually somewhat glaucous on lower surface; blades coriaceous. Margins with antrorse green or greenish brown–tipped prickles up to 4 mm long. Parallel, longitudinal veins numerous, parallel, connected by perpendicular commissures to form a reticulate pattern. Petioles absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences, terminal, pendent in fruit, pedunculate, bracteate, the bracts white to cream-colored. Pistillate inflorescence a suberect solitary head, usually closely enveloped by bracts, each head globose to ovoid ellipsoid, ca. 5 cm in dia Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious). Calyx (sepals) absent. Corolla (petals) absent. Staminate inflorescences (excluding lower peduncle) usually 30–45 cm long, fertile bracts usually 13–18, spikes cream-colored, oblong, compressed, up to ca. 10 cm long, consisting of numerous crowded staminate phalanges, these columnar, Stamens racemose, Ovary superior.

Fruit: Polydrupes; phalanges often 40–80 per head; ripe phalanges usually obovoid; usually 4–7 cm long; slightly compressed; the apex low convex to subtruncate; each carpel apex distinct; capped by the 1 slightly elevated stigma; stigmas ovate–deltate to reniform; usually 1–2 mm wide; Phalanges forming polydrupes with usually 5–11 cells; pericarp at least proximally yellow; orange; or red when ripe; slightly fleshy–fibrous below; distally similar in color or greenish; upper mesocarp with spongy pith and; with age; with cavities and fibrous; lower mesocarp fibrous; endocarp reddish brown; bony. Seeds chambers fusiform–ellipsoid; usually 8–15 mm long.

Ploidy: 2n = ca. 51*; 54*; 60*

Habitat: occurring in extensive groves or intermingled with species such as Aleurites; Psidium; or Acacia; in mesic coastal sites; also on low elevation slopes of mesic valleys further inland; rarely higher; on all of the main islands except Kaho'olawe.

Elevation Range: 0–610 m.