Geniostoma tinifolium var. lanaiense is a shrub or small tree 1.2-15 m tall; stems dichotomously branched, young branches terete or nearly so, glabrous. The leaves are medium green, membranous, elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or lanceolate at 3.8-21 cm long, 1.4-7.3 cm wide. The veins are not impressed on the upper surface, glabrous, margins entire, apex abruptly acuminate to acute, base narrowly to sometimes broadly cuneate (wedge-shaped), ± asymmetrical, petioles 0.6-4 cm long, stipules completely connate, forming a truncate sheath 1-4 mm long, sometimes splitting somewhat with age, slightly adnate (linked or fused to a structure of a type different from itself) to base of petioles, margins sometimes ciliolate. Flowers 3-19 in pendulous, open, paniculate cymes, fragrance semen-like, glabrous throughout, peduncles weakly recurved, 9-22 mm long, elongating to 13-35 mm long in fruit, pedicels 8-11 mm long, elongating up to 23 mm long in fruit, bracts, and bracteoles subulate, 0.7-1.6 mm long; calyx lobes connate slightly to ca. 1/2 their length, imbricate, ovate-deltate, 1.5-3 mm long, 0.7-1.6 mm wide, margins hyaline, ± ciliolate. The corolla is pale yellowish-green or greenish-yellow, narrowly urceolate (urn-shaped) at 10 mm long, the tube 5.5-7.8 mm long, 1.5-2 mm in diameter, sparsely white pilose within, the lobes ovate-deltate or ovate, 1.7-2.3 mm long, apex short-acuminate to rounded; ovary glabrate. Capsules broadly ovoid to subglobose-ovoid or ellipsoid-ovoid, 11-17mm long, 2-3-valved, valves transversely wrinkled, not keeled, apex with a beak 0.5-1.5 mm long. It occurs in wet and mesic forests at 760 to 920 m elevation. The seeds ± winged at both ends or all around; embedded in juicy orange to red pulp; numerous; obovate; intruded on the hilar side; surface mostly minutely papillose to areolate; brown; ca. 1.9 – 2.1 mm long; endosperm thick; fleshy; oily; proteinaceous; with saccharose or hemicellulose; embryo small; straight. It inhabits wet and possibly mesic forests between 760–920 meters.
Bean-shaped (Reniform): Resembling the shape of a kidney or bean.
Square or Oblong: Angular shape with all sides more or less equal or longer than wide.
Triangular: Three-sided shape, broadest below the middle.
Elliptic: Rounded at both ends. shaped like an ellipse or oval.
Ovate or Obovate: egg-shaped, broader at one end.
Linear: Extremely long and narrow, with sides usually parallel.
Round: Appears circular, with length and width roughly the same.
Cardioid (Heart-Shaped): One edge has a prominent double curve into two lobes.
Cylindrical: A cylinder with parallel sides and a circular cross-section.
Discoid: Resembling a disc or plate with two relatively flat surfaces.
Fusiform: Spindle-shaped, tapering at both ends.
Globose: Spherical.
Lenticular: Resembling a lens with two convex surfaces.
Ovoid: Egg-shaped.
Plano-convex: Having a flat ventral (planar) surface and a curved dorsal (convex) surface.
Polygonal: Having more than three flat faces meeting at angles.
Sectoroid: Resembling a segment of an orange with two relatively flat faces and one curved face.
Subglobose/ellipsoid: Inflated shape but less than spherical.
Trigonous: Having three faces that meet at a distinct angle; triangular in cross-section.
Endangered species (E) are species that are so rare they’re in danger of becoming extinct.
Threatened species (T) are species that are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range.
Species of Concern (SOC) are species about which there are some concerns regarding status and threats, but insufficient information is available to list the species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) is a state status for rare plants that focuses its efforts on species that have fewer than 50 remaining wild individuals.
Orthodox seeds (desiccation-tolerant): can be dried to an internal seed moisture of less than 12% water and stored at freezing temperatures.
Intermediate seeds (temperature-sensitive) tend to age faster than orthodox seeds and may have only a 5-year lifespan when stored at -20°C. They are recommended for storage at 5°C.
Recalcitrant seeds (desiccation-sensitive): cannot be stored in a conventional freezer as they cannot survive after drying and/or freezing at -20°C. They are recommended for cryopreservation storage.