Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o (Hibiscus arnottianus & H. waimeae) – is a shrub, right? 

    

    Like many malihini, the first time I saw a hibiscus was in 1982 when I came to O‘ahu to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. And, like many visitors – and residents – for a long while, I assumed hibiscus were shrubs since that’s how they always appear along streets and surrounding houses or other buildings in Honolulu. Later, I discovered two facts: (1) nearly all the hibiscus in Honolulu are not Hawaiian at all but varieties or hybrids of the Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), (2) Hawai‘i does have native hibiscus species; two of these are referred to as koki‘o ke‘oke‘o because of their predominantly white flowers. Still, it wasn’t until I began hiking extensively (because of my growing interest in Hawai‘i’s native flora) that I learned a most unexpected fact: not all hibiscus are shrubs! In fact, koki‘o ke‘oke‘o (and some other native hibiscus) can grow into quite substantial trees 20-30 feet tall (see photograph). Of course, this leaves you, a native Hawaiian plant enthusiast, with a dilemma: “Should I let my koki‘o ke‘oke‘o grow naturally into a tree or prune it into a shrub?” For me, the answer is simple since I always prefer to see plants in their natural form. However, you may have a different preference. And, that’s okay because koki‘o ke‘oke‘o will thrive in your garden as either a tree or a pruned shrub. I’m just happy you’ve chosen a koki‘o ke‘oke‘o for your garden instead of yet another variety of Chinese hibiscus.