Rauvolfia sandwicensis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Rauvolfia |
Species: | R. sandwicensis
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Binomial name | |
Rauvolfia sandwicensis |
Rauvolfia sandwicensis, the devil's-pepper,[1] also known as hao in the Hawaiian language, is a species of flowering plant in the milkweed family, Apocynaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is a shrub, a small tree reaching 6 m (20 ft) in height, or, rarely, a medium-sized tree up to 12 m (39 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 0.3 m (0.98 ft).[2] Hao inhabits coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests at elevations of 100–500 m (330–1,640 ft).[3]