''Sida fallax'', known as yellow ilima or golden mallow, is a species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the ''

Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

'' 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 ...

, indigenous to the Hawaiian Archipelago and other

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found in drier areas in

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

s, often near the ocean. Ilima is the symbol of Laloimehani and is the flower for the islands of

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 ...

, Hawaii, and

Abemama Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of ...

, Kiribati. It is known as ''ilima'' or ''āpiki'' in Hawaiian and as ''kio'' in Marshallese, ''te kaura'' in

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

, ''idibin ekaura'' in Nauruan, and ''akatā'' in

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

. In

Hawaiian religion Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitian ...

, the ilima flowers are associated with

Laka In Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of two different popular heroes from Polynesian mythology. (In other parts of Polynesia they are known as Rātā, Rata, Lata, Ata, or Lasa). In one Hawaiian legend, Laka is the son of the '' Ali'i nui'' W ...

, the goddess of the hula, and the plant's prosrate form with Pele's brother, Kane-apua, the god of taro planters. Lei made from ilima were believed to attract mischievous spirits (thus its alternative name, ''āpiki''), although some considered them to be lucky.

Description

The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small, in diameter; have five petals; and range from golden yellow to orange in color. Ilima grows from to tall in prostrate (beach growing) and erect (upland shrub) forms. Lowland ilima, known as ''ilima papa'', has silver-green foliage; mountain varieties have smooth, green foliage. Leaves can be long and narrow or rounded or heart-shaped with finely to coarsely serrated leaf margins. Flowers may be solitary or occur in small clusters.

Uses

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

used ilima flowers to make lei, and it is possibly the only plant cultivated specifically for lei-making in ancient Hawaii. About 1,000 ilima blossoms are needed to make one strand of a lei. Ilima is now planted as a commercial crop for flowers and garlands in Hawaii and

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

; where it was once seen as only for use in lei for royalty, but it now can be worn by anyone. The flowers are sometimes also used as a food garnish, and flowers and tender

meristem The meristem is a type of tissue found in plants. It consists of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells) capable of cell division. Cells in the meristem can develop into all the other tissues and organs that occur in plants. These cells conti ...

s are sometimes used to scent coconut oil in

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

. The stems are used in weaving rough baskets, floor coverings, and in house thatching. The bushes are used to help prepare swamp taro beds in Hawaii, and dried leaves and flowers are used as fertilizer, mulch, and sometimes compost in Kiribati. ''S. fallax'' is sometimes used as a

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

in tropical areas. Traditionally, ilima was used medicinally to ease pregnancy and as a mild laxative. The flowers were used in magic, particularly

love magic Love magic is the belief that magic can conjure sexual passion or romantic love. Love magic is often used in literature, like fantasy or mythology, and it is believed it can be implemented in a variety of ways, such as by written spells, dolls, ...

; for example, in Kiribati ''S. fallax'' flowers were mixed with coconut milk and bark from ''

Premna serratifolia ''Premna serratifolia'' is a small tree/shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It flowers and fruits between May and November.Described by Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi in India biodiversity portal http:/ ...

'' trees to promote true love.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3015052 fallax Flora of Hawaii Biota of Oahu