Characteristics
A shrub or slender tree. It can grow 14 m high but is often 2.5 m high. The stems are flattened and hairy. The leaves are simple and opposite. The leaf blade is narrowly oval and 1-4 cm long. They are rounded at the base and have dots over the surface. The leaf stalk is 1-3 mm long. The flowers can be at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves. Mostly they occur singly but can be in groups of 3. The flowers are pink. The fruit is small and flattened. It is 4-6 mm across and has several seeds. The fruit are black.
| Life form |
-
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
14.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
|
| Blooming months |
-
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| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
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| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It mostly grows on the edges of forest. In Samoa it occurs between 100-650 m altitude. In Indonesia it grows up to 1,300 m above sea level.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
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| Soil texture |
-
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| Soil acidity |
-
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| Soil nutriment |
-
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| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The young shoots are eaten as a seasoning. CAUTION: In large amounts they cause constipation. The black berries are eaten.
Cultivation
Plants can be grown by seeds.
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
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| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
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| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
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| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
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