It is a subspecies of Melicytus novae-zelandiae, known in New Zealand as coastal mahoe.

The subspecific epithet honours the military Captain James Doran McComish (1881–1948), who made several visits in the 1930s to collect plants on Lord Howe Island.

[1] It is a shrub or small tree growing to 5 m in height.

Clusters of small greenish yellow flowers, 2 mm long, appear from August to October.

[1][2] The subspecies is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.