Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Dilleniidae –
Order Malvales –
Family Elaeocarpaceae – Elaeocarpus family
Genus Elaeocarpus L. – Elaeocarpus
Species Elaeocarpus carolinensis Koids. – Elaeocarpus

(USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2006 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.)

The leaf margins are finely serrated and the leaf blade is quite thick. The old leaves turn red before falling. The flowers are borne in clusters containing 5-10 flowers. The flowers are small and the calyx is almost as long as the petals. The petals have a characteristic notch at the apex or tip. The fruit of Elaeocarpus carolinensis is round and bright blue that has a somewhat wrinkled surface when mature.

The genus Elaeocarpus contains 250 species in Asia, Australia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Melesia, New Zealand, the Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific (including Hawai`i). The Hawaiian species, Elaeocarpus bifidus, is endemic and is found in mesic-wet forest on Kaua`i and O`ahu at 900-1,220 m elevation.

(Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., and S. H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i. Revised Edition. Volume 1. Bishop Museum Special Publication 97. University of Hawai`i Press, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai`i.)
Yao, N. 1996. Species list of Vascular Plants of Taiwan. Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University, Taiwan.)

Island in the Caroline Islands. In its native range this species is now often found as remnant trees surrounded by agroforestry plantations.