Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Hibiscus waimeae is a small, gray-barked tree up to 10 m tall. The upper surface of the leaves is light green while the lower surface is covered with velvety hairs which makes it appear grayish. 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 of H. waimeae, subsp. waimeae has larger flowers and smaller leaves compared to subsp. hannerae.
(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 Unpublished Internal Papers.)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.)

As an effort to preserve genetically pure collections of this subspecies, National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kaua'i is propagating the rare White Hibiscus by seeds and cuttings. 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 Unpublished Internal Papers.)

In old Hawaii, White Hibiscus were used primarily for decoration.

White Hibiscus grows well in cultivation. Around 1900 this 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.)

Geographic Distribution: The native hibiscus in Hawaii are thought to derive from four separate colonizations. Hibiscus waimeae is found only on the island of Kaua’i and the subspecies waimeae is found in the found in the Waimea Canyon area and various western and southwestern, ocean-facing valleys, in mixed mesic forests from 250-1200 m.

Species Interconnection and Interdependency:
Natural hybrids occur when insects or native birds cross-pollinate native hibiscus with introduced varieties (such as the common red Chinese hibiscus) that have become established along forest edges.
(Kepler, Angela K. 1984. Hawaiian Heritage Plants.)

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.)

Although Hibiscus waimeae subsp. waimeae is not endangered, Hibiscus waimeae subsp. hannerae is listed as a federally endangered species and is on IUCN's red list of endangered species.

We currently have 35 herbarium specimens for Hibiscus waimeae subsp. waimeae in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 044651 - collected by John J. Fay in 1974
• 044652 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1983
• 036620 - collected by John H. R. Plews in 1986
• 002014 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1987
• 014983 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1992
• 014984 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1992
• 015233 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1994
• 019712 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1995
• 021825 - collected by David H. Lorence in 1995
• 028834 - collected by Steve Perlman in 1998
• 034210 - collected by Steve Perlman in 2000
• 030061 - collected by Kana Watanabe in 2005
• S046592 - collected by Margaret Clark in 2006
• 052282 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2006
• 049415 - collected by Clay Trauernicht in 2009
• 072599 - collected by Susan M. Deans in 2016
• Unassigned - collected by Susan M. Deans in 2016
• 072604 - collected by Susan M. Deans in 2016
• 074231 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2016
• 074233 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2016
• 074222 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2016
• 074773 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 074770 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 074771 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 075882 - collected by Maggie Sporck-Koehler in 2017
• 075883 - collected by Maggie Sporck-Koehler in 2017
• 082410 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 077420 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 077733 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2017
• 081204 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2018
• 081191 - collected by Seana Walsh in 2018
• 087435 - collected by David H. Lorence in 2020
• 087329 - collected by Dustin Wolkis in 2021
• 087373 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2022
• 092690 - collected by Adam M. Williams in 2023