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Wikstroemia pulcherrima

Wikstroemia pulcherrima Skottsb.

Kohala False Ohelo

Thymelaeaceae (Mezereum family)

Synonym(s): Wikstroemia phillyreifolia var. buxifolia

USDA Symbol: WIPU

USDA Native Status: HI (N)

"Shrubs/small trees; height of 1-3 ft., spreads laterally up to 10 ft". (webref: 47). "Low shrubs or small, densely branched trees up to ca. 2 m tall; young branches pubescent or with scattered hairs, rarely with a dense yellow indumentum or glabrous, internodes 2-10(-20) mm long." (bibref: 1798).

"In the Hawaiian Islands, endemic to Hawaii." (webref: 49).

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub , Tree
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Margin: Entire
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Flowers Bisexual , Dioecious
Inflorescence: Axillary , Terminal
Fruit Type: Drupe
Leaf: "Leaves vivid green to glaucous on upper surface, lower surface pale or yellowish green, more or less soft coriaceous, firm and stiff when dry, elliptic to ovate or subspatulate, (1-)2-3(-5) cm long, (0.5-)1-2(-3) cm wide, glabrous, apex and base acute to rounded, rarely mucronate, petioles 1-5 mm long, pilose." (bibref:1798).
Flower: "Flowers perfect or unisexual (and then plants dioecious), yellow, sericeous, becoming glabrate, peduncles up to 5 mm long, hirsute, rachis clavate, 1-10 mm long, hirsute, pedicels 0.5-1 mm long; calyx tube of staminate flowers 6-10.5 mm long, outer lobes 3-8 mm long, 2-4.5 mm wide, inner lobes 2.8-7 mm long, 1.8-4.5 mm wide; calyx tube of pistillate flowers 4.5-7.5 mm long, outer lobes 3-6.5 mm long, 2-3.5 mm wide, inner lobes 2.5-5.5 mm long, 1.6-3 mm wide; calyx tube of perfect flowers 7-10.5 mm long, outer lobes 4.5-8 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, inner lobes 3.5-6.5 mm long, 2-4 mm wide." (bibref:1798).
Fruit: "Fruit orangish red to dark crimson, globose, 9-18 mm in diameter." (bibref:1798).

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec

Distribution

USA: HI
Native Distribution: Endemic to the Hawaiian island of Hawaii.
Native Habitat: "Rather common in grazed pastures, along roadsides and in remnant dry forest, 700-950m, South Kohala and North Kona districts, Hawai'i." (bibref: 1798). This taxon grows "in disturbed habitats (roadsides, pastures) and remnant dry forest 700�950 m". (webref: 47).

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry

Bibliography

Bibref 1798 - Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii, Revised Edition (1999) Wagner, W.L.; Herbst, D.R.; Sohmer, S.H.

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Web Reference

Webref 49 - Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (2020) Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Webref 47 - Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database (2020) Bishop Museum
Webref 31 - Native Plants Hawai�i (2018) University of Hawaii
Webref 28 - NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life (2018) NatureServe

Additional resources

USDA: Find Wikstroemia pulcherrima in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Wikstroemia pulcherrima in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Wikstroemia pulcherrima

Metadata

Record Modified: 2020-11-02
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

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