Flowers Native to Hawaii
There are number of different plants and flowers native to Hawaii. In fact, Hawaii has several official flowers which are meant to represent the beauty and individuality of each of the Hawaiian Islands. As you would expect, Hawaii’s native flowers are incredibly vibrant and picturesque. Hawaii’s official state flower, the yellow hibiscus (also known as the pua aloalo or Hibiscus brackenridgei), was legally adopted by the Hawaiian legislature as the state’s official flower in 1988. Aside from the yellow hibiscus, each of the Hawaiian islands also has its own, unique official flower.
First, the island of Oahu has the yellow ilima as its official, native flower. The yellow ilima is roughly one inch wide and is similar in appearance to a small hibiscus flower. Historically, native Hawaiians have used the yellow ilima as a curative (in fact, it was common for pregnant women to eat the flowers ). Next, the Big Island’s official flower is the red ohia, which is a vivid blossom of the ohia tree. The blossoms can be white, yellow or orange. Kauai’s official flower is the mokihana berry, which can be found on Mount Waialelae.
Maui’s official flower is the pink cottage rose, also known as the pink lokelani. Beloved for its powerful aroma, the pink cottage rose is actually the only non-native plant included in the official flowers of the Hawaiian Islands (it is actually native to Asia). Next, Molokai’s official flower is the white kukui blossom and Lanai’s official flower is kaunaoa, also referred to as the yellow and orange air plant. Finally, Niihau’s official flower is the white pupu shell, which is native to the shoreline of this island.
