Rare hibiscus blooms
strong and fragrant

Description: Shrubs or small trees up to 20 or 30 feet tall that usually stay in the 5- to 8-foot range. These plants have light green foliage even lighter on its underside.

The most attractive feature of this plant is its beautiful white and fragrant flowers that emerge at the branch tips. The flowers open a brilliant white in the morning, slowly fading over two days to a light pink, and closing before falling off. The petals of this hibiscus are robust and thick, which enables it to stay open for so long and adds to its strong fragrance. The staminal column is a reddish pink, which makes it stand out against the white petal background.

Distribution: This rare native white hibiscus is endemic to the dry forests of Waimea Canyon on Kauai and is found nowhere else in the world.

Landscape use: As with most hibiscuses, the koki'o kea can be trimmed down to a beautiful, highly colorful hedge or left alone to be admired as a specimen plant.

This is another perfect native plant perfect for the xeriscape garden, or any garden for that matter. Plant it in front of a dark background like a rock wall or ti hedge to show off the flowers!

Plant care: The koki'o kea is very wind-, sun- and drought-tolerant and is resistant to the unattractive bumps from gall mites that seem to plague most hybrid hibiscus. Watch out for aphids and whiteflies; if you do find them, treat the plant by shooting them off with a water hose or spraying them with pesticide.