Hawaiian hibiscus
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 The maʻo hau hele is the state flower of Hawaiʻi
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The genus Hibiscus includes some 200 species, seven of which are regarded as native Hawaiian hibiscus. Although tourists regularly do associate the hibiscus flower with their experiences visiting the US state of Hawaiʻi, and the plant family Malvaceae includes a relatively large number of species that are native to the Hawaiian Islands, those flowers presented to or regularly observed by tourists are generally not the native hibiscus flowers. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Islands are the Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and its numerous hybrids.
The native plants in the genus Hibiscus in Hawaiʻi are thought to have derived from four independent colonization events: two for the five endemic species (four closely related species plus the yellow-flowered species) and one each for the two indigenous species (Wagner, Herbst, and Sohmer, 1990).
The native hibiscus (genus Hibiscus) found in Hawaiʻi are:
- Hibiscus arnottianus A. Gray – kokiʻo keʻokeʻo is an endemic species of hibiscus with white flowers. Three subspecies are recognized: H. arnottianus arnottianus found in the Waiʻanae mountain of western Oʻahu; H. a. immaculatus which is very rare (listed as endangered) on Molokaʻi; and H. a. punaluuensis from the Koʻolau mountain on Oʻahu. Perhaps only a dozen plants of H. a. immaculatus exist in nature. This species is closely related to H. waimeae, and the two are among the very few members of the genus with fragrant flowers. Sometimes planted as an ornamental or crossed with H. rosa-sinensis (see photo).
- Hibiscus brackenridgei A. Gray – maʻo hau hele is a tall shrub with bright yellow flowers, closely related to the widespread H. divaricatus. Two subspecies are recognized: H. b. brackenridgei, a sprawling shrub to an erect tree found on Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi; and H. b. mokuleianus, a tree from dry habitats on Kauaʻi and Waiʻanae mountain on Oʻahu. This species is listed as an endangered species by the USFWS. The yellow flower of this species is the official state flower of Hawaiʻi, and although endangered in its natural habitats, has become a moderately popular ornamental in Hawaiian yards.
- Hibiscus clayi Degener & Degener – An endemic shrub or small tree with bright red flowers, generally similar to H. kokio, and found in nature on Kauaʻi in dry forests. Listed as endangered by USFWS.
- Hibiscus furcellatus Desr. – a pink-flowered hibiscus considered an indigenous species, typically found in low and marshy areas of the West Indies, Florida, Central and South America, and Hawaiʻi. It is known to the Hawaiians as ʻakiohala, ʻakiahala, hau hele, and hau hele wai.
- Hibiscus kokio Hillebr. – kokiʻo or kokiʻo ʻula is a shrub or small tree with red to orangish (or rarely yellow) flowers. This endemic species is not officially listed, but considered rare in nature. Two subspecies are recognized: H. kokio kokio found in dry to wet forests on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and possibly Hawaiʻi; and H. k. saintjohnianus from northwestern Kauaʻi.
- Hibiscus tiliaceus L. – hau is a spreading shrub or tree common to the tropics and subtropics, especially in coastal areas. This species is possibly indigenous to Hawaiʻi, but may have been introduced by the early Polynesians.
- Hibiscus waimeae A. Heller – kokiʻo keʻokeʻo or kokiʻo kea is a Hawaiian endemic, gray-barked tree, 6-10 m tall, with white flowers that fade to pink in the afternoon. Two subspecies are recognized: H. waimeae hannerae (rare and listed as endangered) found in northwestern valleys of Kauaʻi, and H. w. waimeae occurring in the Waimea Canyon and some western to southern valleys on Kauaʻi. This species closely resembles H. arnottianus in a number of characteristics.
[edit] Other Malvaceae
In addition to the species of Hibiscus listed above, there are several other related Hawaiian plants of the family Malvaceae whose flowers resemble hibiscus flowers, although are generally smaller. The endemic genus, Hibiscadelphus, comprises seven species described from Hawaiʻi. Three of these are now thought to be extinct and the remaining four are listed as critically endangered or extinct in the wild. Another endemic genus, Kokia, comprises four species of trees. All but one (K. kauaiensis) are listed and either extinct or nearly extinct in the wild.
Three endemic species of the New World genus, Abutilon occur in Hawaiʻi: A. eremitopetalum, A. menziesii, and A. sandwicense; all are listed as endangered. The cotton plant (genus Gossypium), whose bright yellow flowers are certainly hibiscus-like, includes one endemic: G. tomentosum, uncommon but found in dry places on all the main islands except Hawaiʻi. The widespread milo (Thespesia populnea) is an indigenous tree with yellow and maroon flowers.
[edit] Reference
- Wagner, W. L., Derral R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaiʻi, Vol. I. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 988 pp.
