Wagner, Warren L., Derral R. Herbst and S. H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i (Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Special Publication, 2 Vol. Set). Honolulu, HI

Flora of Hawaii:

Distribution     
In the Hawaiian Islands, endemic to Moloka`i. Restricted to the northern coast and islets of Moloka‘i, just to the east of Kalaupapa.

Habit
Small shrubs 0.4 – 1.75 m tall, young parts and inflorescences sparsely to densely covered with whitish gray to golden yellow tomentum; branches gray brown, subglabrate.

Leaves
Leaves coriaceous, rugose, obovate to oblanceolate, 3.5 – 7.0 cm × 1 – 3.3 cm, lateral veins 5 – 9 pairs, upper surface with prominently impressed veins, tan to golden brown strigose, or with silky white yellow pubescence on young growth, soon glabrate, dark green when fresh, lower surface with slightly raised veins, densely covered with a tan to golden yellow tomentum, margins entire, slightly to strongly revolute, apex obtuse to rounded or retuse, base cuneate, petioles 0.2 – 1.2 cm long. Flowers  

Flowers
Flowers mostly functionally unisexual (very rarely hermaphroditic; rudimentary ovaries present in staminate flowers), 5 – 10 flowers in terminal, axillary or cauline, simple corymbose inflorescences, fragrant, peduncles 5 – 15 mm long, pedicels 4 – 6 mm long, bracts subulate to acicular, 2 – 5 mm long; calyx cup shaped, sepals distinct, lanceolate, 4 – 5 mm long, both surfaces densely light yellow to golden lanate, apex acute; petals white to cream colored, 13 – 15 mm long; filaments of staminate flowers 6 – 8 mm long, those of pistillate flowers, when present, 3.5 – 4.5 mm long, fertile anthers oblong 2.5 – 3.0 mm long, those of pistillate flowers, when present, seemingly sterile, ca. 1.3 – 1.5 mm long; ovary hirsute, 2-carpellate.  

Fruit
Capsules s ubcuboid to ovoid, ±compressed, if so then oblong-ovoid, 20 – 35 mm long, densely tan to golden brown tomentose, apex obtuse to truncate, the persistent style ca. 2 – 3 mm long, the valves with woody exocarp 3 – 4 mm thick, coarsely rounded-tuberculate, the troughs between the tubercles broad, smooth, and gently sloping.   

Seeds
Seed mass filling the capsule volume, ca. 25 – 50, black, ovoid to irregularly angled and compressed, 5 – 8 mm long.  

Chromosomes
2n = 24.