Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Many-branched shrubs to small trees 1–10(–15) m tall.

Stems: Stems erect to prostrate (littoral form), glabrous.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades variable in shape, elliptic or narrowly lanceolate to linear–lanceolate or ovate, 3.5–22 cm long, 0.5–4 cm wide. Apex acute to long-acuminate. Surfaces glabrous or occasionally pubescent, usually somewhat fleshy, sometimes chartaceous to coriaceous, usually drying coriaceous. Margins entire, usually serrate in young shoots or seedlings. Petioles 0.5–2.5 cm long, usually winged. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers axillary, usually 2–10 per cyme, often 1 or more abortive, pedicels terete (cylindrical) or flattened, 5–17 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx (4)5(–9)-lobed, broadly ovate to lanceolate or oblong, 1–5 mm long, glandular punctate, margins slightly scarious and glandular denticulate. Corolla slightly irregular, white, white with purplish pink splotches, or sometimes pink, campanulate to funnelform, 4.5–12 mm long, (4)5(–9)-lobed, glabrous to densely pubescent within, usually glandular punctate; nectary ring yellow or purple, at base of ovary. Stamens 5; anthers opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, cylindrical, narrowly conical to depressed-conical, 1.5–4 mm long, 2-carpellate, 4–12-celled; style simple.

Fruit: Fruit drupaceous; greenish white to pinkish or purplish; subglobose when fresh; 4–12–ribbed when dry; endocarp 2–10 mm long; 2–9 mm in diameter; bony. Seeds 1 per cell. spindle-shaped; papery when dry; 2–2.5 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Strand vegetation; dry forest; 'a'a lava; mesic to wet forest; and a dominant element of subalpine forest.

Elevation Range: 0–2,380 m.