devil's-pepper
Rauvolfia sandwicensis A.DC.
Rauvolfia sandwicensis, known as devil's-pepper or hao in Hawaiian, is a species in the Apocynaceae family. It is native to Hawaii and can grow as a shrub, small tree up to 6 m tall, or rarely as a tree reaching 12 m with a trunk diameter of 0.3 m. It is found in coastal and mixed mesic forests between 100–500 m elevation.
Description
Rauvolfia sandwicensis, also called devil's-pepper, is a plant species from the Apocynaceae family. Endemic to Hawaii, it is a versatile plant that can appear as a shrub, a small tree up to 6 m in height, or, less commonly, as a medium-sized tree reaching 12 m tall with a trunk diameter of 0.3 m. It is typically found in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forest habitats at elevations ranging from 100 to 500 m. The species was first described in 1844 by A.DC.
Other common names
devil's-pepper
Distribution
Hawaii
Synonyms
Macaglia tuberculataOchrosia sandwicensisOchrosia tuberculataAspidosperma tuberculatumRauvolfia degeneriRauvolfia forbesiiRauvolfia helleriRauvolfia mauiensisRauvolfia molokaiensisRauvolfia parvifloraRauvolfia remotifloraBleekeria sandwicensisRauvolfia molokaiensis var. parvifoliaRauvolfia sandwicensis var. subacuminataExcavatia sandwicensis
