Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trailing or scandent stiff vines.

Stems: Stems weakly 4–angled, glabrous.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades broadly lanceolate to elliptic–Ianceolate, 8–15 cm long, 2.5–4.5 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base acute, rounded, truncate, or weakly subcordate. Surfaces glabrous; blades thinly to moderately coriaceous. Margins weakly revolute, subentire to weakly serrate or crenate–serrate in the upper half, sometimes nearly to the base. Petioles 12– 35 mm long, glabrous. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 3–5 per verticillaster, axillary, pedicels 4–5 mm long, moderately puberulent, sometimes sparsely so. Calyx nearly radially symmetrical, narrowly campanulate, 9–12 mm long at anthesis, enlarging in fruit, sparsely puberulent or subglabrous, sparsely puberulent within on the teeth, the teeth lanceolate, 2–4 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide near base, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, tube and lobes deep pinkish purple, base whitish, strigose externally, glandular pubescent within, tube narrowly funnelform, straight, ca. 15–17 mm long , upper lip 8–9 mm long, entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, lower lip 4– 5 mm long, 3-lobed, the lobes flat or margins revolute, ovate, of similar size, distal portion of corolla sparsely to densely pubescent externally, the hairs simple or multicellular, occasionally glandular pubescent within, otherwise glabrous; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 4, both pairs of similar length or upper pair slightly longer, included within corolla or well–exserted beyond upper lip; filaments inserted near throat, pubescent; anthers dithecal; anther sacs divaricate, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, each carpel longitudinally divided, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, exserted, arising between lobes, usually cleft, diverging after anther dehiscence, shortly 2-lobed, the lobes subulate; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets very dark purple at maturity; ca. 7–8 mm long; 1-seeded; drupaceous; black at maturity; margins slightly winged; obliquely attached at base; included within calyx at maturity; exocarp fleshy; obovoid. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Rare in wet forest; Kōke'e State Park; Waimea District; Kaua'i; from Awa'awapuhi to Kalalau valleys.

Elevation Range: 1,090–1250 m.