From Common Forest Trees of Hawaii

Koki’o Ke’oke’o
Hibiscus arnottianus
Mallow family (Malvaceae)

Native species ()

Small tree or tall shrub native to Oahu and sometimes cultivated, with showy large fragrant funnel-shaped flowers about 5–6 inches (13–15 ) across the five spreading elliptical white petals. 10–30 ft (3–9 ) high, with several trunks 3 inches (7.5 ) or more in diameter, with dense hairless throughout (a variety hairy). Bark gray, smooth; Inner bark is light green, almost tasteless. Twigs green when young, becoming gray with raised half round leaf scars.


©2009 Forest And Kim Starr
Leaves 2–4 inches (5–10 ) long and 1 1⁄2–3 inches (4–7.5 ) broad, thin, green, and slightly shiny on both surfaces, lower surface often finely hairy, with 5 main veins, from rounded base, blunt, edges finely wavy or straight; leaf-stalks 3⁄4–1 1⁄4 inches (2–4 ); long-pointed, shedding early.

Flowers single on jointed stalks at one or two uppermost leaves. tubular, cylindrical, light green, 2 long, five- and split on a side, above 5–7 narrow, curved green petals five, white, sometimes pinkish, 3–4 1⁄2 inches (7.5–11 ) long, united at base into narrow tube 1 inch (2.5 ) long; many threadlike along the upper part of a long dark red or white column extending from tube 3 1⁄4–4 inches (8–10 ), enclosing cylindrical, five-celled with several ovules in each cell, the slender with five exposed erect dark red branches ending in brown dot stigmas.

Seed capsules are oblong, 1 inch (2.5 ) long, thin-walled, five-celled, enclosed by Seeds 3⁄16 inch (5 ) long, brown hairy.

Native only on Oahu and Wailau Valley, Molokai, in wet forests at 1000–3000 ft (305–914 ) elevation. Originally common in mountains near Honolulu.

Special areas
Lyon Arboretum, Waimea Arboretum, Maui Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Wahiawa Botanic Garden, Kapiolani Rose Garden near Honolulu Zoo, and Manuka State Park on Hawaii

Other common names
Pā-makini, Punaluu hibiscus (variety with large heart-shaped hairy leaves). A common name for Hibiscus is pua aloalo, which refers to the flower. Aloalo refers to the whole plant.

This species named in 1854 honors its discoverer, George Arnold Walker Arnott, (1799–1868), Scottish botanist. It is mentioned in old Hawaiian songs and legends.

Several other mostly shrubby species of Hibiscus, with flowers of assorted colors, are native in Hawaii. H. arnottianus is a source of numerous horticultural varieties, which are popular ornamentals. Its flowers last longer, 2 days instead of 1.

White Kauai hibiscus, Hibiscus waimeae Heller, also with showy white flowers, is native to Kauai and common in Waimea Canyon at 2000–3000 ft (610–914 ). This small tree reaches 30 ft (9 ) and 1 ft (0.3 ) in trunk diameter. It is easily cultivated and can be seen at most special areas listed above.

An evergreen tree retains a large portion of its green leaves all year.

stamen -- the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; The stamen consists of an anther supported by a filament.

style -- This is a long and thread-like structure that connects the stigma with the ovary. A flower may have a single style, or several of them.

scale -- A very small leaf around a dormant bud. Also other things that might remind one of fish scales on the surface of ferns, stems and the like.

cm -- A centimeter which is about 0.4 inches.

The apex is the tip or the furthest point from the attachment.

mm -- millimeter. About 1/25th of an inch.

ovate -- Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

m -- A meter is about 10% larger than a yard.

An ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower. Above the ovary is the style and the stigma, which is where the pollen lands and germinates to grow down through the style to the ovary.

calyx -- the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.

stipule -- A leaf-like structure that occurs where the leaf joins the stem; stipules often occur in pairs.

canopy -- The foliage of a tree; the crown. Also the upper layer of a forest.

A pistil is the female structure of many flowers. It contains one or more carpels. Each carpel contins an ovary, style and stigma. The stigma receives the pollen which grows thru the style to reach the ovary.

endemic -- when restricted to a certain country or area.