Family: Vitaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Leea guineensis (burgundy leea, Hawaiian holly, West Indian holly) is a tropical shrub or small tree native to parts of tropical Africa. It is valued as an ornamental plant for its attractive burgundy-tinged foliage, upright growth habit, and colorful new shoots. In landscaping, it is often used as a hedge, accent plant, or backdrop in tropical and subtropical gardens, where its bold foliage adds year-round color and texture. It can also be shaped with pruning, making it useful in formal or informal landscape designs.
Risks & Threats
This species is considered low risk and is not known to be invasive or widely naturalized in Hawaiʻi. It does not show aggressive spreading behavior or significant impacts on native ecosystems. As with any ornamental introduction, continued observation is appropriate to ensure it remains well-behaved under local conditions, but at this time Leea guineensis does not present known ecological threats in Hawaiʻi.
High Risk Traits:
- Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
- Thrives in tropical climates
- Juice from fruit may be irritating to humans
- Shade tolerant
- Reproduces by seeds
- Seeds dispersed by birds, other animals, and intentionally by people
Low Risk Traits:
- Widely cultivated, with no reports of naturalization or invasiveness
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Palatable to browsing animals
- Valued as an ornamental and for medicinal uses
