Kokiʻo kea
Hibiscus waimeae
Unreal shrubs or small trees up to 15 ft. tall but usually stay in the 5-8 foot range. These plants have light green foliage which is densely pubescent on the underside and less pubescent on top which makes the underside an even lighter green. The most attractive feature of this plant is its beautiful white and also fragrant flowers which emerge at the tips of branches. In the morning, the flowers open up and are a brilliant white and by the end of two days they slowly fade to a light pink and begin to close up before falling off. The petals of this hibiscus are very robust and thick which enable it to stay open for so long and which also adds to it’s stronger than normal fragrance. The staminal column is reddish pink which makes it stand out against the white petal background but it is shorter and more robust than other native whites.
He mau lāʻau pūnohunohu a he kumulāʻau maoli ia; ʻumikūmālima kapuaʻi ke kiʻeiʻe loa, ʻelima a ʻewalu naʻe kapuaʻi ka maʻamau. He mau lau ʻōmaʻomaʻo ko ke kokiʻo kea i uhi ʻia i ka heu. He mau pua keʻokeʻo onaona ko ke kokiʻo kea. Mohala maila nā pua i ke kakahiaka, a ʻelua paha lā a hiki i ka mae ʻana o nā pua. ʻAno mānoanoa naʻe nā lihilihi o kēia mau pua, a he pōuleule ʻula kona. ʻAno pōkole naʻe kēia mau pōuleule ma mua o nā ʻano kokiʻo ʻē aʻe.
This rare native white hibiscus is endemic to the dry forests of Waimea Canyon on the island of Kaua’i and is found nowhere else in the world.
Kākaʻikahi loa ke kokiʻo kea. No ke awāwa o Waimea, ma Kauaʻi ke kokiʻo kea.
The flowers of Hibiscus were eaten as a laxative and some sources say that the native red hibiscus were eaten by girls and women while the white hibiscus were eaten by boys and men. In addition the flowers were also strung into lei but today it is most often put behind the ear.
He lāʻau hoʻonahā ke kokiʻo kea. ʻŌlelo ʻia, ʻai ʻia nā kokiʻo kea/keʻokeʻo e nā kāne a ʻai ʻia nā kokiʻo ʻula e nā wāhine. Wili ʻia hoʻi ke kokiʻo i loko o nā lei.
As with most hibiscuses, the koki’o kea can be trimmed into a beautiful, highly colorful hedge or left alone to be admired as a specimen plant. It is very wind, sun and drought tolerant and is resistant to the unattractive bumps from gall mites that seem to plague most hybrid hibiscus. This is yet another perfect native plant for the xeriscape garden, or any garden for that matter. Hint: plant this plant in front of a dark background like a rock wall or ti hedge to really show off the flowers! Watch out for aphids and whitefly, if you do notice them treat the plant by either shooting them off with a water hose or spraying them with pesticide. If you follow the directions on the bottle you should have good results.
Hiki ke paʻipaʻi nā lālā o ke kokiʻo kea i ulu pūnohunohu ai i pā. A hiki hoʻi ke kanu hoʻokahi no ka ulu kiʻekiʻe ʻana. Ikaika ke kokiʻo i ka makani, i ka lā, i ka wā maloʻo, a ʻaʻole nō i pilikia nui i nā mū. Nani ke kanu ʻana i ke kokiʻo kea i mua o ka pā pōhaku i ʻike leʻa ʻia ai nā pua. Ke ʻike ʻia nā ʻeleao e ʻai ana i ke kokiʻo, e kī i ka wai e hemo ai nā ʻeleao.
The native white hibiscuses, which include Hibiscus arnottianus (found on O’ahu and Moloka’i) and this species H. waimeae, are the only fragrant hibiscuses in the world. Of the ones listed above, this flower is the most fragrant, making it—- The most naturally fragrant hibiscus in the WORLD!!! Sweet! An endangered subspecies of this plant H. waimeae subsp. hannerae is also found on Kaua’I and has a much smaller flower but is still quite fragrant.
Loaʻa kekahi mau ʻano kokiʻo me nā pua keʻokeʻo: ʻo ke kokiʻo keʻokeʻo (Hibiscus arnottianus) no Oʻahu me Molokaʻi, a ʻo kēia kokiʻo kea (H. waimeae). ʻO kēia mau kokiʻo ʻelua wale nō nā kokiʻo pua onaona ma ka honua nei. A ʻo ke kokiʻo kea ka pua i ʻoi aku ai ke onaona, no laila, ʻo ia nō ke kokiʻo pua onaona ʻoi loa o ka honua nei. ʻO kekahi ʻano ʻē aʻe o ke kokiʻo kea (H. waimeae subsp. hannerae), liʻiliʻi naʻe nā pua, a mau naʻe ke onaona.