Description

Key Characters:

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

Stems:

Roots:

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. Surfaces usually somewhat glaucous on lower surface; blades coriaceous. Margins with antrorse green or greenish brown–tipped prickles up to 4 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious). 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:

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

Elevation Range: 0–610 m.