Hawaiian hibiscus
Encyclopedia
Hawaiian hibiscus are the seven known species of hibiscus
regarded as native to Hawaii
. Although tourists regularly associate the hibiscus flower
with their experiences visiting the US
state of Hawaii
, 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 plant
s in the Islands are the Chinese hibiscus
(Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and its numerous hybrids.
The native plants in the genus Hibiscus in Hawaii 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.
whose flowers resemble Hibiscus flowers, although are generally smaller. The endemic genus, Hibiscadelphus
, comprises seven species described from Hawaii. 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 pantropical genus, Abutilon
occur in Hawaii: A. eremitopetalum
, A. menziesii
, and A. sandwicense
; all are listed as endangered
. Cotton plants (Gossypium
spp.), 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 Hawaii. The widespread milo (Thespesia populnea) is an indigenous tree with yellow and maroon flowers.
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Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
regarded as native to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Although tourists regularly associate the hibiscus flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
with their experiences visiting the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
family Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
includes a relatively large number of species that are native to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, those flowers presented to or regularly observed by tourists are generally not the native hibiscus flowers. Most commonly grown as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s in the Islands are the Chinese hibiscus
Chinese hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as the Chinese hibiscus, China rose and shoe flower, is an evergreen flowering shrub native to East Asia....
(Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and its numerous hybrids.
The native plants in the genus Hibiscus in Hawaii 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.
Native species
The native hibiscus (genus Hibiscus) found in Hawaii are:- Hibiscus arnottianus A. Gray
Asa Gray-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
– kokio keokeo ("kokio that is white like the shine of silver") is an endemic species of hibiscus with white flowers. Three subspecies are recognized: H. arnottianus arnottianus found in the Waianae RangeWaianae RangeWaianae Range is the eroded remains of an ancient shield volcano that comprises the western half of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu...
of western OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
; H. a. immaculatus which is very rare (listed as endangered) on MolokaiMolokaiMolokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
; and H. a. punaluuensis from the Koolau Range on Oahu. Perhaps only a dozen plants of H. a. immaculatus exist in nature in mesic and wet forests. 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). In the Hawaiian languageHawaiian languageThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
the white hibiscus is known as the Pua Aloalo. - Hibiscus brackenridgei A. Gray – mao hau hele ("hau most similar to maoGossypium tomentosumGossypium tomentosum, commonly known as Mao or Hawaiian cotton, is a species of cotton plant that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits low shrublands at elevations from sea level to . Mao is a shrub that reaches a height of and a diameter of...
") is a tall shrub (up to 10 m (32.8 ft)) 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 in dry forestsHawaiian tropical dry forestsThe Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and...
and low shrublandsHawaiian tropical low shrublandsThe Hawaiian tropical low shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. These shrublands cover an area of in the leeward lowlands of the main islands and most of the smaller islands, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ecoregion includes both grasslands and...
at elevations of 400–2600 ft (121.9–792.5 m) on MolokaiMolokaiMolokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
, LānaiLanaiLānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
, Maui, and HawaiiHawaii (island)The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
; and H. b. mokuleianus, a tree from dry habitats on Kauai and the Waianae Range on Oahu. This species is listed as an endangered speciesEndangered speciesAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by the USFWSUnited States Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
. The yellow flower of this species was made the official state flower of Hawaii on 6 June 1988, and although endangered in its natural habitats, has become a moderately popular ornamental in Hawaiian yards. - Hibiscus clayi O.Deg.
Otto DegenerOtto Degener was a botanist and conservationist who specialized in identifying plants of the Hawaiian Islands.-Life:Otto Degener was born May 13, 1899 in East Orange, New Jersey. Degener graduated from the Massachusetts Agricultural College...
& I.Deg. – An endemic shrub or small tree with bright red flowers, generally similar to H. kokio, and found in nature on KauaiKauaiKauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
in dry forestsHawaiian tropical dry forestsThe Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and...
. Listed as endangeredEndangered speciesAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by USFWS. - Hibiscus furcellatus Desr. – a pink-flowered hibiscus considered an indigenous species, typically found in low and marshMarshIn geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y areas of the CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, CentralCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Hawaii, where it is known as akiohala, akiahala, hau hele, and hau hele wai ("entirely pucePucePuce is a color that is defined as ranging from reddish-brown to purplish-brown, with the latter being the more widely accepted definition found in reputable sources. Puce is a shade of red. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the use of "puce" from 1787...
hau"). - Hibiscus kokio Hillebr.
William HillebrandWilliam Hillebrand was a German physician. He traveled the world, including over 20 years in the Hawaiian islands. In 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. He also became known as a botanist.-Life and career:...
– kokio or kokio ula ("red kokio") is a shrub or small tree (3 metre) 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 Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and possibly Hawaii at elevations of 70–800 m (229.7–2,624.7 ft); and H. k. saintjohnianus from northwestern Kauai at elevations of 150–890 m (492.1–2,919.9 ft). - Hibiscus tiliaceus L.Carolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
– hau is a spreading shrub or tree common to the tropics and subtropics, especially in coastal areas. This species is possibly indigenous to Hawaii, but may have been introduced by the early PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
ns. - Hibiscus waimeaeHibiscus waimeaeHibiscus waimeae is a species of flowering plant in the okra family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is a small gray-barked tree, reaching a height of and a trunk diameter of . The flowers last for a single day, starting out white and fading to pink in the...
A.HellerAmos Arthur HellerAmos Arthur Heller was an American botanist.He was one of the most prolific western collectors from 1892 until 1940. While living in Los Gatos, California, south of San Francisco from 1904 to 1908, Heller collected extensively in central California. He also obtained an impressive collection from...
– kokio keokeo or kokio kea ("kokio that is white as snow") is a Hawaiian endemic, gray-barked tree, 6–10 m (19.7–32.8 ft) 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 Kauai, and H. w. waimeae occurring in the Waimea Canyon and some western to southern valleys on Kauai. This species closely resembles H. arnottianus in a number of characteristics.
Other Malvaceae
In addition to the species of Hibiscus listed above, there are several other related Hawaiian plants of the family MalvaceaeMalvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
whose flowers resemble Hibiscus flowers, although are generally smaller. The endemic genus, Hibiscadelphus
Hibiscadelphus
Hibiscadelphus is a genus of Malvaceae from the subfamily Malvoideae endemic to Hawaii. It was known by the Native Hawaiians as hau kuahiwi which means "mountain Hibiscus". The Latin name means "brother of Hibiscus"...
, comprises seven species described from Hawaii. 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
Kokia (genus)
Kokia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. All species it contains are endemic to the islands of Hawaii.-Species:* Kokia cookei O.Deg. - Molokai Tree Cotton...
, 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 pantropical genus, Abutilon
Abutilon
Abutilon is a large genus of approximately 150 species of broadleaf evergreens in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus includes annuals, perennials, shrubs, and small trees from 1–10 m tall, and is found in the tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. The leaves are alternate,...
occur in Hawaii: A. eremitopetalum
Abutilon eremitopetalum
Abutilon eremitopetalum, commonly known as the Hidden-petaled Abutilon or Hiddenpetal Indian Mallow, is a species of flowering shrub in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is endemic to dry forests and low shrublands on the windward side of the island of Lānai in Hawaii...
, A. menziesii
Abutilon menziesii
Abutilon menziesii, known as Kooloaula in Hawaiian, is an endangered species of flowering shrub in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii.It inhabits dry forests on the islands of Lānai, Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii...
, and A. sandwicense
Abutilon sandwicense
Abutilon sandwicense, commonly known as the Greenflower Indian Mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that is endemic to the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in the United States. It inhabits dry forests on the slopes of the Waianae Range at elevations of . Associated...
; all are listed as endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. Cotton plants (Gossypium
Gossypium
Gossypium is the cotton genus. It belongs to the tribe Gossypieae, in the mallow family, Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions from both the Old and New World. The genus Gossypium comprises around 50 species , making it the largest in species number in the tribe Gosssypioieae....
spp.), whose bright yellow flowers are certainly hibiscus-like, includes one endemic: G. tomentosum
Gossypium tomentosum
Gossypium tomentosum, commonly known as Mao or Hawaiian cotton, is a species of cotton plant that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits low shrublands at elevations from sea level to . Mao is a shrub that reaches a height of and a diameter of...
, uncommon but found in dry places on all the main islands except Hawaii. The widespread milo (Thespesia populnea) is an indigenous tree with yellow and maroon flowers.
External links
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Kapiolani Community College
Kapiolani Community College, formerly Kapiolani Technical School, is a public, co-educational commuter college in Honolulu, Hawaii situated on the slopes of Diamond Head in Waikīkī...
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