ʻIlima papa, ʻIlima kū kahakai
Sida fallax
Prostrate plants with pale green leaves, woody stems and bright orange flowers. There are many different varieties of ‘ilima, although they have the same botanical name, morphologically they appear quite different. Some types grow into bushes while others, like this one, lay flat. Even leaves and flowers may look different between dissimilar varieties.
He lāʻau kolo ma ka honua. He mau lau ʻōmaʻomaʻo ʻano hinahina a he mau pua melemele/ʻālani. Nui nā ʻano ʻilima. He mau lāʻau pūnohunohu kekahi ʻano ʻilima, a ulu papa kekahi ʻano e like me kēia, kolo i ka lepo. ʻOkoʻa nō hoʻi nā lau o nā ʻano ʻilima.
Naturally, ‘ilima papa is found on all the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi islands and many other places in the Pacific. All grow near the ocean in what is called the “strand vegetation” zone. Here the plants are exposed to extremely harsh conditions such as salt spray, wind, intense sun and heat, and drought. Because of this, the plants that occupy this vegetation zone have generally the same physical characteristics as mentioned above.
Ulu ka ʻilima papa ma nā mokupuni a pau o ka pae ʻāina a ulu nō hoʻi i nā ʻāina ʻē aʻe ma waho o Hawaiʻi. Ulu kēia ʻano ma kahakai. Ikaika kēia ʻano ʻilima i ke ehu kai, i ka makani, i ka pā nui ʻana i ka lā, i ka wela, a i ka maloʻo.
‘Ilima is the island flower of O’ahu and is used to make lei ‘ilima. The flowers can also be used as a mild laxative for babies. You can even put some in your tossed salad to add nice color by pinching them out of their calyxes (the small green cup that the petals emerge from), don’t worry about it being a laxative, it only works for babies. You would have to eat half a lei to make it work for adults but if you need to go then just keep pickin’. I’ve even used the flowers as a garnish for sashimi, it looks nice and tastes way better than parsley.
ʻO ka ʻilima ka pua kaulana o Oʻahu i kui ʻia i lei ʻilima. He lāʻau hoʻonahā nō hoʻi ka ʻilima no nā keiki. Akā ʻo kekahi mea i ʻike ʻole ʻia, ʻono ka pua ʻilima ma luna o ka saleta. Mai ʻai i ka hā ʻōmaʻomaʻo o ka pua, e wehe i ka pua mai ia mole a kau i ka saleta. ʻOno nō hoʻi nā ʻilima i luna o ka sashimi.
Plant ‘ilima papa as a ground cover anywhere that has full sun, is pretty dry and has non-clay soil. Space the plants about 1-1/2 to 2 feet apart. Do not over water. The best thing to do is to soak the ground and not water again until the soil has completely dried out. If you water too much, you’ll notice that the plants won’t be as prostrate and will get quite tall, especially if planted too close. Eventually the leaves will start to yellow, even drupe, which is a sign often mistaken for drying out so people add more water to the already drowning plant. If you notice this happening to your plant feel the soil first, if it’s still moist let it dry out. Bugs that sometimes feed on this plant are mealy bugs that are usually brought by ants, and whiteflies. Get rid of the ants with granular pesticide and treat the plant with any store bought pesticide that specifically kills mealy bugs and whiteflies. Slugs and snails also like to live under ground covers so if you know your area has slugs or snails (the big African kine, not the endangered ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi kine) treat the area with slug and snail bait.
Kanu i ka ʻilima papa i kahi e pā nui ai ka lā, a i kahi wahi maloʻo. Mai kanu i ka lepo pālolo o make i ka pulu mau ʻana o nā aʻa. I ke kanu ʻana, 1.5–2 kapuaʻi ke kōwā ma waena o nā ʻilima. Mai hāinu nui. E aho e hoʻopulu i ka lepo i kekahi wā; aia ā maloʻo loa ka lepo, e hāinu hou. Ke hāinu nui, ʻaʻole paha e ulu papa maikaʻi ka ʻilima. I ka ʻike ʻana i ka mae ʻana o nā lau, he hōʻailona ia, pākela inu ka ʻilima i ka wai. I kekahi wā, pilikia ka ʻilima i ka nonanona a i ka mū, nā ane ʻuku a me nā nalo keʻokeʻo. Pau nā nonanona i ka lāʻau make hunahunana. Pau nā ane ʻuku a me nā nalo keʻokeʻo i ka lāʻau make mai ka hale kūʻai. I kekahi wā, pilikia hoʻi nā ʻilima i nā kamaloli a i nā pūpū malihini.