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
Taxonomic Description: Distribution Occurring in Mexico and South America west across the Pacific Basin on a number of islands to New Caledonia, also in Africa. In the Hawaiian Islands, indigenous to Hawai`i.
Habit Large, often seasonally deciduous trees up to 25 m tall; bark pale brown, fissured and falling off in large scales from mature trees.
Leaves Leaves even pinnately compound, leaflets 3-6 pairs, opposite or alternate, chartaceous, oblong elliptic, slightly falcate, 6-16 cm long, 2-4.5 cm wide, upper surface glabrous, lower surface moderately tomentose to puberulent, margins entire, slightly undulate, apex acuminate, base rounded, rachis winged in young leaves, petioles 3-5 cm long.
Flowers Flowers in terminal, tomentose panicles to 10-20 cm long, pedicels 1-3.5 mm long; sepals unequal, outer ones ovate, 1.5-1.8 mm long, pubescent at least at base, inner ones suborbicular, ca. 2.5 mm long, pubescent, minutely ciliate; petals subequal, obovate to suborbicular obovate, strongly concave, ca. 2 mm long, ciliate; staminal filaments ca. 1 mm long, pubescent at base; ovary 2-3-celled, glabrous; stigma lobes blunt.
Fruit Fruit of 1(2-3) fleshy, globose mericarps 1.7-2 cm long, pericarp coriaceous.
Seeds Seed dark reddish brown to black, 1-1.2 cm long, testa without a tuft of hairs at base.
Notes Self compatible (at least in Hawai`i; 1 plant tested).
