Pleomele hawaiiensis, of the Agavaceae (agave) family, is a branching tree, 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft) tall, with leaves spirally clustered at the tips of branches and leaving large brown leaf scars as they fall off. The leaves measure 23 to 38 cm (9 to 15 in) long and 1.4 to 2.7 cm (0.6 to 1 in) wide. Flowers are numerous in terminal clusters with a main stalk 6 to 13 cm (2 to 5 in) long and individual flower stalks 5 to 12 mm (0.2 to 0.5 in) long. The three sepals and three petals of the flower are similar and pale yellow, 33 to 43 mm (1.3 to 1.7 in) long, with a constricted base. The fruit is a red berry about 10 to 13 mm (0.4 to 0.5 in) long.