Kokia drynarioides
Endangered Hawaiian dry-forest Malvaceae tree native to Hawaii's Big Island, with hundreds of red, spirally arranged flowers that attract nectar-feeding honeycreepers and is easy to cultivate in full sun with good drainage.
Common Names
Koki'o, Hau Hele ʻUla, Hawaiian Tree Cotton
Summary
An endemic Hawaiian dry-forest tree in the Malvaceae, native to Hawaii Island, it grows up to 15 ft tall with a thick trunk and gray-brown bark, star-shaped leaves, and large orange-red petals; flowers are solitary in upper leaf axils and sit above a woody seedpod with seeds about 0.7 in long; it occurs in dry tropical forests at elevations of 455–1,915 m.
Endangered and cultivated as an ornamental, the species tolerates full sun and well-drained soil, with propagation by seed or cuttings; in landscapes it serves as an ornamental specimen or hedge and has cultural significance and medicinal uses.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
312-315 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Extremely well-drained soil
Bloom Color
Red
Foliage Color
Pale, glossy green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Grafting
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds (honeycreepers)
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Lewton
- Publication
- Smithsonian Misc. Collect. 60(5): 3 (1912)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Malvales
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Genus
- Kokia