Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Short, terrestrial, rhizomatous perennial herbs from a thick bulbous caudex.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. 3-ranked. Blades silvery, firm, falcate, folded along the midrib, 12–20 cm long, 1.3–2.2 cm wide. Surfaces with scales, those of the upper surfaces tough, connate, persistent, but sometimes peeling off in skin-like pieces; those of the lower surfaces white, waxy, closely appressed, densely white woolly pubescent beneath scales. Margins entire. The 2 principal veins parallel to the midrib and usually inconspicuous. Sheathing. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in scapes 10–20 cm long, densely shaggy pubescent, the hairs matted; staminate flowers in racemes 3–7 cm long, pedicels 4– 6 mm long, bracts 6–11 mm long; pistillate flowers in racemes 2.5–3 cm long, pedicels 2.5–3 mm long, bracts 7– 8 mm long. Flowers unisexual (and the plants dioecious). Tepals dark purple (at least when dry), densely pubescent; staminate tepals 4.5–6 mm long (outer), 4–5.5 mm long (inner); pistillate tepals 4–5 mm long. Stamens 6, staminate flowers with anthers not seen; filaments 1.2–1.5 mm long; pistillate flowers with anthers not fertile, ca. 0.7 mm long; filaments ca. 1.5 mm long. Ovary superior. Staminate flowers with a pistillode 2.5–3 mm long; pistillate flowers with an ovary ca.4.5 mm long; style ca. 1 mm long.

Fruit: Berries orange; ovoid; ca. 8 mm long; ca. 4 mm in diameter. Seeds 2–3; black; obovoid; 3–3.5 mm long; both ends tapering.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known only from bogs and bog hummocks on the summit of Mount Wai'ale'ale and Alaka'i Swamp; Kauai.

Elevation Range: 1,220–1,585 m.