Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees (3–)5–12 m tall.

Stems: trunks up to 25 cm diameter, bark smooth, mottled gray to light brown, new growth and young branchlets tomentose, yellow–tan, glabrate in age.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate, oblong–ovate, oblong–elliptic, or oblong–lanceolate, (5–)8–30 × (4–)6–11 cm. Apex obtuse to acute, occasionally rounded. Base rounded. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces densely tomentose, yellow–tan, rarely glabrate, with midrib and secondary veins densely tomentose, interspersed villous, the midrib sometimes also long–villous or woolly along the sides; Blade coriaceous. Margins entire. Secondary veins 7–15 pairs, connected by an arched vein 5–20 mm from margin, higher order venation reticulate. Petioles shallowly canaliculate, (2.5–)3.5–9.0 cm long, puberulent to tomentose. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences in axillary and ramiflorous, fasciculate cymes to 22 mm long, peduncles 1–5(–10) mm long, short–villous, pedicles 1–4 mm, short–villous, bracteoles deltoid–ovate, 1–2 mm long, densely short–villous. Flowers unisexual, plants monoecious. Calyx of 3–5(–7) sepals; sepals deltoid–ovate, naviculate, 2.5–3.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, densely short–villous externally, glabrous internally, tip acute, persistent in fruit. Corolla of 4 petals, petals whitish green, ovate, tip acute, slightly thickened and hooked inward, 3.5 × 2.5 mm, densely short–villous externally, glabrous internally. Stamens 8; filaments glabrous, papillose on distal half, antisepalous ones ca. 4 mm long in male flowers (1.5 mm in female flowers), antipetalous ones 3 mm long (1.5 mm in female flowers); anthers ca. 1 mm long, all with pollen in male flowers, (0.6–0.7 mm long in female, apparently sterile). Ovary superior, gynoecium 1 × 2 mm; style including stigma 1 mm long in male flowers (1.5 mm in female), glabrous; stigmas capitate, 4-lobed, papillose, 0.5 mm wide.

Fruit: Capsules medium to dark green when fresh; irregularly pusticulate; 5–9 × 15–21 mm; of 4 distinct follicles; slightly ascending; occasionally 1 or more abortive; exocarp glabrous; glandular punctate; endocarp glabrous. Seeds 1–2 per carpel; ovoid; 6–8 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Tall (15–20 m) old growth <i>Metrosideros polymorpha</i> Gaudich. (Myrtaceae); <i>Acacia koa</i> A. Gray (Fabaceae) mixed mesic forest with the occasional codominant <i>Alphitonia ponderosa</i> Hillebr. (Rhamnaceae).

Elevation Range: 970–1100 m