Hawaiian White Hibiscus
Kauai White Hibiscus
Hawaiian Names:
Koki'o ke'oke'o
Koki'o kea

Classification:

Hibiscus waimeae Heller subsp. hannerae (O.& I. Deg.) D. Bates
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae-Mallow family
Genus Hibiscus L.- Rosemallow
Species: Hibiscus waimeae Heller- White Kauai Rosemallow
Subspecies: Hibiscus waimeae Heller ssp. hannerae (O.& I. Deg.) D. Bates- White Kauai Rosemallow
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)
(National Plant Database. 2004.)

The round or oval leaves are 5-20 cm long and 2 to 13 cm wide. The single flowers last only one day. They are white when they open in the morning and they fade to pink in the afternoon. The flowers occur towards the ends of the branches and have a strong, sweet fragrance (rare in the hibiscus family). The staminal column is pink to crimson. The seeds of Hibiscus waimeae are contained in tough, oval capsules about 2 cm long. The fuzzy brown seeds are about 5 mm long. Hibiscus waimeae is easily grown from fresh seed, but Hawaiian hibiscus hybridize readily and seedlings may be very different from the parent plants. Of the two subspecies, Hibiscus waimeae subspecies hannerae has larger leaves, but smaller flowers.
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)
(NTBG. 1992. Unpublished Internal Papers.)
(Rauch. 1997.)

The subsp. waimeae is found from Waimea Canyon to the western and southwestern ocean-facing valleys of Kaua'i at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
(NTBG. 1992. Unpublished Internal Papers.)
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)
(Rauch. 1997.)

Unfortunately the pure species of Kauai White Hibiscus are all restricted to small pockets of forest and are becoming rare as years progress.
Mentioned occasionally in ancient song and legend, Hawaii's native white hibiscus are truly floral treasures, worthy of all protection.
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)
(Kepler, Angela K. 1984. Hawaiian Heritage Plants.)

(Kepler, Angela K. 1984. Hawaiian Heritage Plants.)

To ensure that the seedlings are not hybrids, the dedicated people of NTBG hand pollinate the flowers.
(National Tropical Botanical Garden. 1992. 1989. Unpublished Internal Papers.)

White Hibiscus grows well in cultivation. Around 1900 the Kauai species was recognized as a plant worthy of world-wide recognition. Seeds were sent to other tropical regions such as Florida and the West Indies, where it now brightens gardens as an "exotic, introduced" hibiscus.
(Kepler, Angela K. 1984. Hawaiian Heritage Plants.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)