| General Information |
| Distribution | Known only from northern and northwestern Kaua'i from the following
valleys along the Na Pali coast: from Limahuli and Hanakapiai Valleys in the east (350-426 m elevation), to Kalalau, Honopu, Pohakuao, Awa'awapuhi, Nualolo, and Kawaiula Valleys in the west (450-1100 m elevation).In the Hawaiian Islands,
endemic to
Kaua`i.
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| Habitat | Restricted to north and northeast-facing cliffs and steep, narrow ridge crests and outcrops, less commonly occurring on steep rocky slopes and the upper portions of basalt cliffs. |
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Habit
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Compact shrubs (2-)3-7.5(-10) dm tall, many-branched; stems glabrous, young stems 4-costate, older stems 2-costate with bark weakly exfoliating.
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Leaves
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Leaves petiolate, usually closely spaced and overlapping, gradually reduced distally along the stem,
coriaceous, lanceolate to ovate, rarely linear-lanceolate, 2-6 cm long, 0.5-1.5(-2.2) cm wide, the base cuneate, rounded or rarely truncate (Limahuli and Hanakapiai Valley collections), the apex long
acuminate to long attenuate, often falcate, the lateral veins 2-4 on each side, strongly ascending, prominent on both surfaces, the tertiary venation
prominently reticulate on both surfaces, the margins flat to occasionally weakly revolute, the petioles 0.2-0.8 cm long, glabrous, the petioles, stipules, and venation often with reddish purple tinge;
stipules deltate, glabrous, aristate, the apex with a stiff awn 1.5-5 mm long.
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Flowers
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Flowers in dense, 7-15-flowered, corymbiform inflorescences subtended by
a pair of ovate bracts, inflorescence branches and pedicels subtended by smaller bracts; flowers dimorphic
and the plants apparently dioecious, the calyx lobes oblong or ovate to narrowly triangular-subulate, 2-6 X 0.5-2 mm, subequal, rigid, venose;
corolla salverform, the valvate lobes conspicuously inflexed in bud, the apex depressed in bud,the tube greenish white or rarely with pink tinge,the lobes pure white or greenish white at anthesis; staminate flowers with the corolla tube 11-14 mm
long, 2-2.5 mm diam., the lobes elliptic to oblonglanceolate,
7.5-8 X 1.5-2 mm, the stamens inserted
2-4 mm below apex of tube, the anthers 1.8-2.8 mm long, the filaments 0.2-0.5 mm long, the style 5-8 mm long, 0.5-0.7 times the length of the tube, woolly-villous in lower 1/3-1/2, the stigma lobes poorly developed, coherent, ovules present at anthesis,
but apparently never developing; pistillate flowers with the corolla tube 7-8 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm diam., the lobes 2.5-4 X 0.8-1.5 mm, the stamens inserted 1-3 mm below apex of tube, the anthers 0.8-1.5 mm long, pollen not developing, the
filaments 0.3-0.5 mm long, the style 6--8 mm long, 0.8-1.1 times the length of the tube, woolly-villous in lower 1/3-1/2, the stigma lobes ovate-elliptic, 1-1.5 mm long, free.
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Fruit
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Capsules subglobose, 5-6 mm long, 5-6.5 mm diam., dehiscing loculicidally
across the disk, later weakly separating septicidally, the calyx lobes accrescent, erect, the disk
raised, 1.5-2 mm long, the ovary 2/3 (rarely to 1/2)inferior.
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Seeds
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Seeds irregularly ellipsoid-angulate or
subglobose-angulate, 0.6-0.9 mm long, the testa dark brown or black, papillose.
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Notes
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Collections from lower elevations,
i.e., from Limahuli and Hanakapiai Valleys, tend to have truncate to broadly rounded leaf bases, whereas
those from higher elevations in localities to the west are characterized by having obtuse to cuneate bases.
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Contributor
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Nancy Khan
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