Myrsine sandwicensis

Common Names

Kōlea Lau Li‘i, Kolea Lau Li‘i, Kōlea, Koli‘i

Summary

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Kōlea lau li‘i is an endemic Hawaiian shrub or small tree, typically 1.5–4 m tall with brown to reddish-brown glabrous branches, occurring in mesic to wet forests and bogs at elevations of 300–1,470 m. Leaves are dark green and coriaceous, 1–5.8 cm long and 0.3–1.5 cm wide, oblanceolate to obovate with entire margins, with young leaves yellow and tinged red or purple; flowers appear in 2–5 bracteolate fascicles among or below leaves, with pale yellowish-white petals tinged red or purple; fruits are purplish-black, globose drupes 6–8 mm in diameter.

Seed coat remains intact and germination is slow; seedbed should be prepared 3–4 weeks after at least 3 leaves, and seedlings are sensitive to drying; no success transferring from pots to open ground. In cultivation and landscape contexts, it is used for lei from bright new leaves and for canoe gunwales, with bark used for red dye and wood for kapa anvils.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

5 ft – 22 ft 11 in

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun, tolerates partial sun.

Soil Type

Well-drained, rich, organic soil

Soil Drainage

Rich, well-drained soil

Bloom Color

Pale yellowish white with reddish tinge or purple

Foliage Color

Dark green, Medium green, Light green

Fall Foliage Color

Red, Yellow with a red or purple tinge

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Very slow

Propagation Methods

Seeds