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Ceodes umbellifera

J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (1776)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-CoreEudicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Nyctaginaceae Genus: Ceodes

pāpala [papala], pāpala kēpau [papala kepau]

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Large glabrous shrubs or trees up to 10 m tall, loosely branched.

Stems: Branchlets thick, terminal "nodes" enlarged (perhaps best called aggregate nodes), probably really a number of nodes and internodes condensed and bearing pseudo–whorls of leaves and pseudo–terminal cymes, as well as new branchlets, the "terminal" or next proximal internode elongate, 3–15 cm long, and usually straight and weakly quadrangular in cross section, 3–10 mm in diameter.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves nearly always in pseudo–whorls of 3–8 or opposite. Blades extremely variable in size and shape, ovate–elliptic to broadly elliptic, obovate, or sometimes broadly spatulate, 5–35 cm long, 5–15 cm wide. Apex subacute or obtuse, rarely somewhat acuminate. Base usually more or less cuneately narrowed or contracted to a short petiole. Blades thick and chartaceous to subcoriaceous. Margins entire to sinuate. Primary lateral veins 8–10(–12) pairs, not very prominent, on most specimens forking and anastomosing toward margins, tertiary and higher order venation obscure. Petioles 0.5–2(–3) cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in pseudo–terminal, glabrous to minutely puberulent cymes, these 1–5(6) at an aggregate node, occasionally later becoming apparently axillary by vigorous growth of a new branchlet, each one 6–15 cm long at anthesis, enlarging up to twice as long and becoming diffuse in fruit, usually long pedunculate and branching once or twice or more, with aggregate nodes forming an umbellate pattern, sometimes irregularly so, hemispherical to globose in outline, rays 6–10, ultimate umbellules at times somewhat irregular, scale-like bractlets at articulations caducous or absent, often 1 bractlet present part way up the pedicel. Flowers unisexual, rarely appearing bisexual (perfect), strongly fragrant. Calyx of staminate flowers campanulate at anthesis, 4–5-lobed, limb rounded distally, lobes ovate, spreading to somewhat recurved, margins thick, usually revolute. Calyx of pistillate flowers somewhat smaller than staminate flowers. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens in staminate flowers 6–10, slightly to well exserted; anthers orbicular; pistillate flower staminodes usually not exserted. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers); stigma slightly to strongly exserted, capitate, apically penicillate or covered by hair-like, simple to slightly branched processes, giving a kahili-like appearance. Staminate flowers with a pistillode included or very slightly exserted, capitate to somewhat lobed, processes scarcely evident, apex recurved.

Fruit: Anthocarps prismatic; 3–7 cm long; becoming hard; angles very glutinous; the distal half to third tapering to a sterile portion; forming a rostrum; lobes persistent; spreading and stellate; margins usually tightly revolute or merely thickened; with a triangular portion usually present arising within the margin of the lobe and extending slightly beyond it. Seeds 1 per fruit; closely enclosed by the thin ovary wall.

Ploidy: 2n = 112

Habitat: Wet to moist forests; usually in valleys.

Elevation Range: 90–800 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Indigenous

Island Status

Kaua'i Indigenous
O'ahu Indigenous
Molokai Indigenous
Lana'i Indigenous
Maui Indigenous
Hawai'i Indigenous

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Char. Gen. Pl.: 142 (1776)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:987 (K, O, Mo, L, M, H [as Pisonia umbellifera]); Rossetto et al. 2020:132 (Syn. P. umbellifera = C. umbellifera); Munro 245 BISH (L†, 1913)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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