From Common Forest Trees of Hawaii

Kōkea Lau Li'i
Myrsine sandwicensis
Primrose family (Primulaceae)

Native species ()

This handsome, much branched, spreading shrub or small tree, with small many crowded dark green spoon-shaped leaves whitish beneath, is found in wet forests at middle to moderately high altitudes through the islands though absent from Kauai. A shrub or sometimes small tree 13–25 ft (4–7 ) high. Twigs slender, light green tinged with pink when young, finely hairy, with two lines below each leaf, turning gray, with raised half-round leaf-scars.


©2011 Forest And Kim Starr
Leaves very numerous and crowded, spoon-shaped (), 5⁄8–1 inch (15–25 ) long and 1⁄4–3⁄8 inch (6–10 ) wide, thick and leathery, hairless, rounded and slightly notched at widest beyond middle and tapering to base and short leafstalk of 1⁄8 inch (3 ), edges turned under, with -dots visible under a lens, upper surface shiny green or dark green without visible side veins, lower surface whitish green. Youngest leaves pinkish tinged. Leaves on small plants are larger, to 1 1⁄2 inches (40 ) long and 5⁄8 inch (15 ) wide.

Flowers scattered at leaf bases, 2–8 together on slender stalks of 1⁄8–1⁄4 inch (3–6 ), 1⁄8 inch (3 ) long and wide, composed of of 5–7 minute 5–7 narrow yellowish or reddish petals with reddish dots, 5–7 short inserted on the and with round and dot

() round, 3⁄16–5⁄16 inch (5–8 ) in diameter, purplish black with -dots, with at base and at Seed single, round.

The wood is pinkish yellow with prominent reddish brown providing a prominent figure on all surfaces. It is moderately hard, easily worked and polished, and suitable for cabinet work but not used at present. Used by the Hawaiians as timber for houses and anvils on which to beat tapa. A black dye for tapa was made from the charcoal.

Common and widespread through the islands except Kauai, in wet forests at middle to high altitudes of 1,000–4,800 ft (305–1,463 ).

Special area
Volcanoes

Range
Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii only

Other common names
kōlea, Hawaiian rapanea

Botanical
Suttonia sandwicensis (A. DC.) Mez, Rapanea sandwicensis (A. DC.) Deg. & Hosaka

The pinkish young leaf shoots are sometimes used effectively in leis.

An evergreen tree retains a large portion of its green leaves all year.

stamen -- the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; The stamen consists of an anther supported by a filament.

drupe -- A fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a hardened shell containing a seed. A peach is a drupe. A raspberry is composed of drupelets.

corolla -- The name for all the petals of a flower taken together.

synonym -- In botany a synonym is a species name that at one time was thought to be the correct name for a plant but was later found to be incorrect and has been replaced by a new name.

Glands are plant structures that secrete liquids, salts or other substances. Glands often appear as hairs with a drop of liquid at the end.

mm -- millimeter. About 1/25th of an inch.

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

m -- A meter is about 10% larger than a yard.

The apex is the tip or the furthest point from the attachment.

calyx -- the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

In an opposite leaf arrangement the leaves come in pairs with one leaf on each side of a stem.

obovate -- Teardrop-shaped, stem attaches to tapering point.

lobe -- Rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ). Lobes bulge out about 1/4 of the leaf diameter.

stigma - The tip of a pistil that receives the pollen.

An ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower. Above the ovary is the style and the stigma, which is where the pollen lands and germinates to grow down through the style to the ovary.

A pistil is the female structure of many flowers. It contains one or more carpels. Each carpel contins an ovary, style and stigma. The stigma receives the pollen which grows thru the style to reach the ovary.

endemic -- when restricted to a certain country or area.

ray flowers -- The outer petals of a sunflower or daisy are ray flowers.