[2] Its habitat is from open maquis, to mountain area as low scrub, on a substrate of eroded ultramafic rocks.

They have pseudo-whorled leaves (5-10 x 0, 20-0, 60 cm), more or less toothed or lobed at the apex, cuneate at the base, leathery, venation slightly prominent, petiole short and robust.

[3] On New Caledonia, examples of such soils commonly have an excess of magnesium, plus unusually high concentrations of phytotoxic compounds of heavy metals such as nickel.

Often thick, magnesite-calcrete caprock, laterite and duricrust forms over ultramafic rocks in tropical and subtropical environments.

The floral assemblages associated with highly nickeliferous ultramafic rocks are indicative tools for mineral exploration.