Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Weakly climbing or sprawling vines.

Stems: Stems often swollen at the nodes, terete (cylindrical), 4–angled or –ridged, lateral branches of primary stems usually elongating several or more nodes below the inflorescence, primary stems to 5 dm long, the lateral branches almost as well developed.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate–elliptic, 2.5–5 cm long, 0.8–1.8 cm wide. Apex mucronate. Base leaf bases often connate around the stem. Surfaces moderately puberulent, the hairs gland–tipped ( and the plant viscid) or not, erect to antrorsely spreading, those of the Lower surfaces principal veins slightly coarser and erect or spreading, those along the margin more deeply infused with purple and antrorsely curved, (0.2–) 0.3–0.5 (–0.8) mm long. Blades thin and membranous, dark green with a purple tinge. Margins entire, inconspicuously serrulate, at least in the distal half. 3 principal veins. Petioles 0.4–0.8 cm long, weakly to conspicuously connate around the stem. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence pseudoaxillary, with usually (1–) 6–11 flowers, all parts moderately puberulent, the hairs gland–tipped or not, translucent, rarely with a purple tinge, 0.3–0.7 (–0.8) mm long; bracts 7–18 (–20) mm long, foliaceous; peduncles 13–35 mm long, the internodes of the lateral inflorescence branches 2–7.4 mm long; pedicels thinner, 4–15 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect), apparently adapted for bird pollination, pendent. Calyx of (4)5 sepals; sepals 6.5–9 mm long, 4–4.5 mm wide, enlarging to ca. 12 mm long and 5–5.5 mm wide in fruit, the outer ones oblong–obovate, greenish white, becoming green toward the base, the inner ones oblong–elliptic to elliptic, white with greenish tinge, becoming green toward the base, thin and membranous, dry at maturity, apex obtuse and mucronulate, abaxially moderately puberulent, the hairs gland–tipped or not, glabrous adaxially. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 10–13; filaments 4.2–5 mm long, the antisepalous one slightly longer; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm long, pale reddish purple at anthesis, changing to a darker reddish purple. Pollen pale gray. Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovule placentation free-central; styles 5–7 (–8), often variable in number on the same plant, filiform; stigma receptive completely around the distal half or rarely nearly throughout its length, slightly enlarged and papillose.

Fruit: Capsules 8–12 mm long; narrowly ovoid; enclosed by or exserted from the persistent dried calyx (in section Alsinidendron calyx fleshy and dark purple); dehiscing at maturity by 4–11 valves. Seeds relatively few to numerous; 0.7–0.9 mm long; black; persistent on placenta; released as capsule gradually rots; the margins of the cells of the seed coat slightly convex; the slightly raised cells forming indistinct irregular transverse ridges across the seed surface; the viable ones black or dark or light brown; the inviable ones usually reddish brown; orbicular–reniform; reniform; or rarely orbicular; usually laterally compressed; the surface rugose; papillose; or sometimes nearly smooth; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy: 2n = 52–56

Habitat: In diverse mesic forest or margins of wet forest; dominated by <i>Acacia koa</i> and <i>Metrosideros polymorpha</i> with <i>Alyxia stellata</i> (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) Roem. & Schult. <i>Bobea; Dodonaea viscosa</i> Jacq. <i>Ilex anomala</i> Hook. & Am.

Elevation Range: (610–) 820–1150 m.