Koki'o ke'oke'o (Hibiscus waimeae) at Ho'omaluhia under the Ko'olau Range, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA
The rainwater rushing down from majestic Ko'olau Mountain on the windward side of Oahu in 1965 and 1969 caused major devastation to the inhabitants of Kâne'ohe on the coast with the loss of many homes. The United States Army Corps of Engineers was ordered to set up a flood control system. Part of this system was the laying out of a huge botanical garden called Ho'omaluhia (= making a place of peace and tranquillity). The 400-acre garden lives up to this name splendidly. It opened its gates in 1982, and is now one of the five Honolulu botantical gardens. It is indeed a magnificent, quiet place and a haven to many species of plants, some of which are severely endangered.
In the section of the garden called Kahua Lehua (=native Hawai'ian plants) I saw this delicate, native Hawai'ian hibiscus, labeled as Koki'o ke'oke'o and, in Latin, Hibiscus waimeae. It was first fully described in 1897 by Amos Arthus Heller (1867-1944), who early in his career visited Hawai'i. He later went on to become a major expert on and collector of Puerto Rican plants. There's a bit of confusion in the literature whether this hibiscus is the same as the White Kaua'i Rosemallow. If anyone can clear this up for me, please write!
Koki'o ke'oke'o (Hibiscus waimeae) at Ho'omaluhia under the Ko'olau Range, O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA
The rainwater rushing down from majestic Ko'olau Mountain on the windward side of Oahu in 1965 and 1969 caused major devastation to the inhabitants of Kâne'ohe on the coast with the loss of many homes. The United States Army Corps of Engineers was ordered to set up a flood control system. Part of this system was the laying out of a huge botanical garden called Ho'omaluhia (= making a place of peace and tranquillity). The 400-acre garden lives up to this name splendidly. It opened its gates in 1982, and is now one of the five Honolulu botantical gardens. It is indeed a magnificent, quiet place and a haven to many species of plants, some of which are severely endangered.
In the section of the garden called Kahua Lehua (=native Hawai'ian plants) I saw this delicate, native Hawai'ian hibiscus, labeled as Koki'o ke'oke'o and, in Latin, Hibiscus waimeae. It was first fully described in 1897 by Amos Arthus Heller (1867-1944), who early in his career visited Hawai'i. He later went on to become a major expert on and collector of Puerto Rican plants. There's a bit of confusion in the literature whether this hibiscus is the same as the White Kaua'i Rosemallow. If anyone can clear this up for me, please write!