Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native

Chinese hibiscus ''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'', known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow and shoeblack plant, is a species of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae tribe of the family Malvaceae. It is wide ...

(''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'') and its numerous hybrids, though the native ''Hibiscus arnottianus'' is occasionally planted. The native plants in the genus ''Hibiscus'' in Hawaii are thought to have derived from four independent colonization events 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 found in Hawaii are: *''

Hibiscus arnottianus Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native Chinese hibiscus (''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'') and i ...

A.Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His '' Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually exc ...

– ''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'' ssp. ''arnottianus'' found in the Waianae Range of western

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

; ''H. a.'' ssp. ''immaculatus'' which is very rare (listed as endangered) on

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

; and ''H. a.'' ssp. ''punaluuensis'' from the Koolau Range on Oahu. Perhaps only a dozen plants of ''H. a.'' ssp. ''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. It is sometimes planted as an ornamental or crossed with ''H. rosa-sinensis''. In the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family 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 o ...

, the white hibiscus is known as the ''pua aloalo''. * ''

Hibiscus brackenridgei Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native Chinese hibiscus (''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'') and i ...

'' A.Gray – ''mao hau hele'' ("''hau'' most similar to ''

mao Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ...

''") is a tall shrub (up to ) with bright yellow flowers, closely related to the widespread '' H. divaricatus''. Two subspecies are recognized: ''H. b.'' ssp. ''brackenridgei'', a sprawling shrub to an erect tree found in dry forests and low shrublands at elevations of above sea level on

Lanai Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

, Maui, and the island of Hawaii; and ''H. b.'' ssp. ''mokuleianus'', a tree from dry habitats on Kauai and the Waianae Range on Oahu. This species is listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

by the USFWS. 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 ''Hibiscus clayi'', common names red Kauai rosemallow, Clay's hibiscus or Kokiʻo ʻula (Hawaiian name), is a perennial angiosperm of the mallow family Malvaceae. Etymology The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἱβίσκος (''hibí ...

'' O.Deg. & I.Deg. is an endemic shrub or small tree with bright red flowers, generally similar to ''H. kokio'', and found in nature on

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

in dry forests. It is listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

by USFWS. * ''

Hibiscus furcellatus Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native Chinese hibiscus (''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'') and i ...

'' Desr. is a pink-flowered hibiscus considered an indigenous species, typically found in low and

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

y areas of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, and Hawaii, where it is known as ''akiohala'', ''akiahala'', ''hau hele'', and ''hau hele wai'' ("entirely

puce Puce is a dark red or purple brown color, a brownish purple or a "dark reddish brown." Etymology The colour is said to be the color of bloodstains on linen or bedsheets, even after being laundered, from flea droppings, or after a flea has been ...

''hau''"). *''

Hibiscus kokio Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the non-native Chinese hibiscus (''Hibiscus rosa-sinensis'') and it ...

'' Hillebr., ''kokio'' or ''kokio ula'' ("red ''kokio''") 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'' ssp. ''kokio'' found in dry to wet forests on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and possibly Hawaii at elevations of ; and ''H. k.'' ssp. ''saintjohnianus'' from northwestern Kauai at elevations of . * ''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zea ...

'' L., ''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

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

ns. * '' Hibiscus waimeae'' A.Heller, ''kokio keokeo'' or ''kokio kea'' ("''kokio'' that is white as snow"), is a Hawaiian endemic, gray-barked tree, tall, with white flowers that fade to pink in the afternoon. Two subspecies are recognized: ''H. waimeae'' ssp. ''hannerae'' (rare and listed as endangered) found in northwestern valleys of Kauai, and ''H. w.'' ssp. ''waimeae'' occurring in the

Waimea Canyon Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles (16 km) long and up to 3,000 feet (900 m) deep, located on the western side of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. ...

and some western to southern valleys on Kauai. This species closely resembles ''H. arnottianus'' in a number of characteristics. File:Hibiscus arnottianus1.jpg, ''Hibiscus arnottianus'' File:Maohauhele.jpg, ''Hibiscus brackenridgei'' File:Hibiscusclayi.jpg, ''Hibiscus clayi'' File:Hibiscus furcellatus (5112678927).jpg, ''Hibiscus furcellatus'' File:Hibiscus kokio Kokee2.jpg, ''Hibiscus kokio'' File:Htiliaceus.jpg, ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'' File:Starr 060826-8647 Hibiscus waimeae.jpg, ''Hibiscus waimeae''

Other Malvaceae

In addition to the species of ''Hibiscus'' listed above, flowers of several other related Hawaiian plants of the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

resemble ''Hibiscus'' flowers, although are generally smaller. The endemic genus, ''

Hibiscadelphus ''Hibiscadelphus'' is a genus of flowering plants that are endemic to Hawaii. It is known by the Native Hawaiians as ''hau kuahiwi'' which means "mountain Hibiscus". The Latin name ''Hibiscadelphus'' means "brother of ''Hibiscus''". It is distinc ...

'', 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 as either

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

or nearly extinct in the wild. Three endemic species of the pantropical genus, ''

Abutilon ''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropicsA. eremitopetalum'', '' A. menziesii'', and '' A. sandwicense''; all are listed as

. Cotton plants ('' Gossypium'' spp.), whose bright yellow flowers are certainly hibiscus-like, include 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. South Korea's national flower is the Hibiscus syriacus which is widely found in Hawaii, too.

References

External links

* * * {{US state flowers Hibiscus Endemic flora of Hawaii Symbols of Hawaii Flora without expected TNC conservation status