An organization known as “The Outdoor Circle” promoted Hawaii’s state flower, the pua aloalo, or hibiscus. Actually, it was adopted in 1923, when Hawaii was still a territory.
In 1950, Hawaiians were anticipating statehood, so there was renewed interest in Hawaiian symbols. A resolution was introduced which stated, “Hawaii’s official flower shall be the ilima, the flower of old royalty.”
It was claimed that leis made of ilima blossoms had always been symbolic of Hawaii. They were given to people attending Republican and Democratic conventions.
The lehua and vanda were also mentioned. Someone expressed concern that the ilima was hard to find. But someone else said that plenty of ilimas would be grown if it was adopted as the state flower.
Another person had heard that the lehua only grows on a volcano on the “Big Island,” Hawaii. In addition, Hawaiian superstition reportedly said that picking a lehua would cause it to rain.
Finally, a vote was taken. The ilima won. But it isn’t Hawaii’s state flower.
Statehood
In 1959, Hawaii became the fiftieth state. Nearly thirty years later, someone realized that Hawaii didn’t really have an official flower or bird. The ilima had never been officially adopted, and the hibiscus had never been changed from the territorial flower to the state flower.
The solution was simple. They would simply legally adopt the flower and bird that had long been considered official. These, of course, were the territorial flower and bird, the hibiscus and nene (Hawaiian goose).
On June 6, 1988, the native yellow hibiscus, or Pua Aloalo, and nene were officially adopted as Hawaii’s state flower and bird.
Hawaii’s state flower is popularly called pua aloalo. However, Hawaiian botanist Dr. Gerald Carr lists ma’o hau hele as its Hawaiian name on his hibiscus page. He also describes it as an endemic; in other words, it’s native only to Hawaii.
The hibiscus occurs in numerous colors and combinations of colors (none of them true blue or black). Bushes may be one to five feet high and produce single or double blossoms, measuring two inches to a foot in diameter, some blooming almost every day.
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