About Raukaua laetevirens (Gay) Frodin
Raukaua laetevirens (Gay) Frodin is an evergreen tree or shrub with ash-coloured bark that reaches up to 6 m (20 ft) in height. Its leaves are alternate and composite, with 2–8 cm long petioles that are thickened at the base. The leaves are digitate, with uneven leaflets that are light green, glossy, leathery, and oblong-lanceolate, and attenuate at both ends. Leaflets have toothed edges, and measure 3-8 cm in length and 1-1.6 cm in width. The flowers are hermaphrodite, pedicellate, and clustered in groups of 2-5 within inflorescences made up of many racemes. Each flower has a 1.5 mm long floral tube. The calyx is split, and the flower has 5 tepals and 5 thick whitish-green ovate-lanceolate sepals, with a 2 mm mucro at the acute apex. It has 5 stamens with whitish anthers, a 3-5 loculate inferior ovary, and 4-5 styles. The fruit is a brown spherical drupe 5-5.5 mm in diameter, crowned by two styles.
