Plant Name
Scientific Name: Rhus sandwicensis
Synonym: Rhus chinensis var. sandwicensis
Common Names: Neneleau, Neleau, Hawaiian Sumac
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Deciduous
Growth Habit: Tree
Hawaii Native Status: Native (endemic)
Flower Color: Dull pale yellow
Height: To 25 feet (8 m) tall, but often less
Description: The numerous, tiny flowers are clustered in panicles above the foliage. The flowers are followed by small, hairy, reddish fruits that can be mistaken for red flowers from a distance. The leaves are green, up to 18 inches (46 cm) long, alternate, and pinnately compound with an odd number of toothed, oblong to lanceolate, point-tipped leaflets. The leaves contain milky white sap. The young leaves are red, while the old, soon to drop leaves are yellow to red. The bark is smooth and gray-brown.
This plant is the only Rhus species found in Hawaii. Neneleau grows in lowland forest areas above 600 feet (183 m) in elevation. It is common along roadsides and at forest edges on the Big Island of Hawaii, but it is less common and less widespread on the other main islands.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae – Sumac family
Genus: Rhus L. – sumac
Species: Rhus sandwicensis A. Gray – neneleau
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