From Common Forest Trees of Hawaii

Hawai'i Roughbush
Streblus pendulinus
Mulberry/Fig family (Moraceae)

Native species (indigenous)

Small slender tree native through the islands in wet and dry forests. Characterized by milky sap, shiny, finely leaves in two rows, and rounded brownish purple fleshy about 3⁄8 inch (1 ) long. Usually a small tree or shrub, sometimes to 40 ft (12 ) high, with trunk to 2 ft (0.6 ) in diameter, slightly enlarged at base. Bark light gray, smooth. Inner bark is yellowish within the green outer layer, fibrous, almost tasteless, with bitter white sap or latex. Twigs become brown and nearly hairless, with forming buds 3⁄16 inch (5 ) long and leaving ring scars at leaf bases.


©2004 Forest And Kim Starr
Leaves in two rows, with paired pointed greenish soon failing and with short finely hairy leafstalk about 3⁄16 inch (5 ) long. Blades oblong to lance-shaped, short-pointed at rounded or slightly notched at base, finely on edges, thin, with 10–12 straight veins on each side, above dark green and hairless, beneath light green with raised yellowish veins slightly hairy.

Flowers male and female mostly on different trees (). Male flowers in long narrow clusters (spikes) to 4 1⁄2 inches (11 ) long and 1⁄4 inch (6 ) wide, very numerous, crowded, whitish to purplish, about 3⁄16 inch (5 ) long, consisting of four- finely hairy and 4 spreading Female flowers are few in short clusters () less than 1⁄2 inch (13 ) long, composed of a four- and with green and two spreading stigmas.

() few, rounded, brownish purple, about 3⁄8 inch (1 ) long, slightly flattened and pointed, hairless, shiny with at base, juicy sweetish white flesh, and rounded stone 1⁄4 inch (6 ) long.

The wood is described as light brown, fine-textured, hard, and tough. That of a related species in Australia was used for boomerangs.

Uncommon in wet and dry forests from near sea level to about 5300 ft (1676 ) altitude. Recorded from Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii.

Special area
Kokee

Champion
Height 38 ft (11.6 ), c.b.h. 4 ft (1.2 ), spread 20 ft (6.1 ). Kaupulehu, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (1968).

Range
New Guinea to Micronesia, S to Norfolk Island., E Australia, New Hebrides, Fiji, Rapa, and Hawaii

Botanical
Pseudomorus sandwicensis Deg., P. brunoniana var. sandwicensis (Deg.) Skottsb., Streblus sandwicensis (Deg.) St. John

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.

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.

cm -- A centimeter which is about 0.4 inches.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

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

stipule -- A leaf-like structure that occurs where the leaf joins the stem; stipules often occur in pairs.

A spike is an unbranched, indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are without stalks.

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

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.

dioecious -- When male and female reproductive structures are on separate plants.

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.