Xylosma nelsonii

Xylosma nelsonii is a small, unarmed, dioecious tree that is nearly glabrous apart from its inflorescences. Its branches are smooth and become wrinkled when dry, exhibiting a brownish or grayish hue with subtle slow-cellate patterning. The alternate, elliptic leaves are thin and papery, typically 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) long and 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) wide, with entire margins that may be slightly recurved or bear faint glandular teeth at vein tips. They are broadly rounded at the apex—occasionally slightly notched—and taper to a subacute or rounded base, each leaf featuring two distinct glands near the petiole insertion. When dry, the upper leaf surface appears brownish-olive and glossy, while the lower is paler but still shining. The venation consists of 5–6 slender, distant lateral veins per side, which anastomose into a fine reticulate pattern. Petioles are about 5 mm (0.20 in) long and may be faintly puberulent. Male flowers are arranged in short axillary racemes or solitary fascicles, each raceme bearing a few flowers and measuring 1–1.5 cm (0.39–0.59 in) in length. Pedicels are long and measure 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in), jointed at the base of 1 mm (0.039 in) flower-bearing branches, each accompanied by a small ovate bract. The flowers have four imbricate, sparsely pubescent sepals which measure 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in), with filaments 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) in length and broadly elliptic-ovoid anthers about 0.8–1 mm (0.031–0.039 in) long.^[2][3]

Xylosma nelsonii has a rather small extent, isolated to the Oceanian subregion of Micronesia. Within its span, it is exclusively found in Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Northern Mariana Islands.^[1][4]

Xylosma nelsonii is a plant of the wet tropical biome, found at estimated elevations ranging 2–175 m (6 ft 7 in – 574 ft 2 in) above sea level.^[1][4]