Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual herbs.

Stems: Stems ascending to erect, 10–45 cm long, inconspicuously pubescent at least toward base.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades linear to linear–spatulate, 5–9 mm long, 0.6–1.8(–2) mm wide. Apex acuminate or sometimes acute. Surfaces glabrous. Margins revolute and minutely serrulate. Sessile.

Flowers: Flowers in helicoid cymes. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Sepals narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 3–4 mm long, margins glandular ciliate, apex long–acuminate. Petals pale yellow, obovate, 4–5(–6) mm long, apex with a small median tooth, distinct. Stamens connate at base; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, flowers homostylous; ovary superior, placentation axile; ovules 2 per carpel, pendulous, anatropous; stigmas terminal and linear-clavate.

Fruit: Capsules depressed–globose; 1.8–2.1 mm long; with an apical beak ca. 0.2–0.3 mm long. Seeds flat.

Ploidy: 2n = 20

Habitat: naturalized on dry ridges; ʻOhikilolo Ridge and Mokuleʻia Valley; Waiʻanae Mountains; Oʻahu.

Elevation Range: 300–600 m.