Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Low shrub, especially at lower elevations, or a slender or robust tree up to 4(–6) m tall.

Stems: Main stem sometimes short, branches slender to robust, ± erect, glabrous or with scattered hairs, usually becoming glabrate, or pubescent, bark sometimes with whitish lenticels close to the prominent leaf scars.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades narrowly to broadly elliptic, ovate–elliptic, or rarely slightly obovate, (1–)2.5–8(–20) cm long, (0.5–)1.5–3(–6.5) cm wide. Apex acute or rounded, apex sometimes acuminate or slightly apiculate. Base acute or rounded, base rarely subcordate. Lower surfaces with often conspicuous lateral veins, glabrous or pilose, especially along the midrib, sometimes hirsute; pale to dark green on upper surface, occasionally tinged lilac crimson, sometimes glaucous; lower surfaces brighter, sometimes somewhat transparent, thin to firm chartaceous or coriaceous. Margins entire. Pinnately veined. Petioles (2–)4–9(–13) mm long, thin or stout, glabrous or pilose. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in peduncles 2–15(–25) mm long, glabrous or pilose, sometimes recurved, rachis subglobose, conical, or filiform, rarely forked, 0.4–5 mm long, sometimes up to 12 mm long and then pendulous, glabrous or puberulent, pedicels 0.5–7 mm long, glabrous or with scattered hairs. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or unisexual and sometimes appearing bisexual (perfect), green to yellow, glabrous or hirsute. Calyx tube of staminate and perfect flowers (4–)5–9(–13) mm long, outer lobes 1.3–6 mm long, 1–4 mm wide, inner lobes 1.2–5 mm long, 1–3.6 mm wide; Calyx tube of pistillate flowers 3–10 mm long, outer lobes 1–9 mm long, 1–3.8 mm wide, inner lobes 1–5 mm long, 1–3.8 mm wide. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 8, the lower whorl included, the upper whorl sometimes shortly exserted. Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovules solitary and pendulous.

Fruit: Fruit orange to red; ellipsoid; 6–18 mm long; 4–10 mm in diameter. Seeds without endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 18*

Habitat: Common in hala forest; mesic to wet forest; diverse mesic forest; bogs; and on ridges and rocky ledges.

Elevation Range: (5–)100–1,400 m.