5 of Hawai‘i’s Extraordinary Native Flowers

Plumeria, pīkake, pua kenikeni.  

These flowers—and their scents—conjure up memories of Hawai‘i, but none of them are actually native to the Islands.  

Plumeria are endemic to Mexico and Central America, pīkake to India and pua kenikeni to the South Pacific.  

In fact, many of the tropical flowers commonly associated with Hawai‘i, like birds of paradise and anthuriums, are found in other warm-weather places, including California and Florida.  

“There’s been a resurgence in interest” in native plants, says Naomi Hoffman, botanist for the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, which manages the city’s five gardens on O‘ahu. “You can go to Mexico or Florida and see plants that grow here.” But for the most part, she says, you can only see Hawai‘i’s native plants in Hawai‘i, “and that’s what makes them so special.”   

The 14-acre Foster Botanical Garden just outside of Downtown Honolulu boasts a diverse collection of exceptional trees and tropical plants. But it also has a dedicated area just for native Hawaiian plants, including loulu palms, the only palm tree native to Hawai‘i.

READ MORE: Escape to This Hidden Outdoor Oasis in Downtown Honolulu

About 1,400 plants are native to Hawai‘i, and nearly 90% of them are found nowhere else in the world. And many—including nine loulu palms—are endangered because of habitat loss, rats, weeds and feral animals.

While the plumeria tree’s sweet fragrance and the hibiscus’s striking colors capture all the attention, Hoffman urges people to learn more about what makes native flowers so special. Because they really are.

Here are five native flowers and the things that make them unique.

1. ‘Ōhi‘a lehua

The hardy native ‘ōhi‘a lehua is one of the first plants to grow in Hawai‘i’s barren lava landscapes, sprouting through cracks in the rocks. “It’s the beginning of an ecosystem,” Hoffman says. The tree is endemic to the six largest Hawaiian Islands and is the most common native tree, comprising 80% of Hawai‘i’s native forests. Its flowers are a burst of stamens and range in color from fiery red (lehua ‘apane) to bright yellow (lehua mamo) and even white (lehua kea). Its wood was traditionally used to make papa ku‘i ‘ai (wooden boards utilized to pound taro root into poi) and weapons, and its leaves were used as a medicinal tea. ‘Ōhi‘a lehua trees are critical to native forests, providing nectar, shelter and nesting sites for endemic birds like the ‘apapane, ‘i‘iwi and ‘ākepa. Today, cultural practitioners still use the blossoms in lei-making and hula. Rapid ‘ōhia death, a fungal disease that has been infecting and killing these trees at an alarming rate, has made protecting them even more important. You can find ‘ōhi‘a lehua at the botanical gardens and on trails in places like Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on Hawai‘i Island and in the higher elevations of the Ko‘olau Mountains on O‘ahu. According to Hawaiian legend, picking the flowers brings rain.

2. Naupaka

Endemic to Hawai‘i, this bright green shrub is mostly found along the coast, but there’s one species of naupaka that grows in the mountains. And there’s a story about that. The plant’s white or cream-colored flowers are irregularly shaped with all five petals on one side—a half-flower and the source of several Hawaiian legends. The most popular one is about star-crossed lovers forced by Pele to be separated, one living by the beach, the other in the mountains. The plant’s flowers and fruits are used in lei, and the fruits and roots have been mixed with salt and applied to cuts to help them heal. Many locals rub the leaves inside their snorkel masks to prevent fogging. (It works!) Coastal naupaka can be found on all major Hawaiian Islands and along many of its beaches. Botanical gardens will have the other, less common varieties, including one with purple flowers. Fun fact: The endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, Hylaeus anthracinus, nests in the stems and forages on the flowers of this coastal plant. 

3. Hau

Indigenous to Hawai‘i, hau is a surprisingly useful plant—and it also boasts beautiful, hibiscuslike flowers. (After all, it’s in the same genus.) Its fibers were once made into rope, the wood was fashioned into spars for outrigger canoes and floats for fishnets, and its sap and flower buds were mixed with other plants to create remedies for chest congestion, dry throat and labor pains. The flowers of these small trees are large and bright yellow with dark red centers. Portner says they subtly change color as they mature. You can find hau in the lowlands, especially along the shoreline, where it can form dense thickets. 

4. ‘Ilima

Found all throughout the dry and mesic forests of Hawai‘i, the native ‘ilima is a low-growing plant that’s great at preventing erosion and retaining moisture. But it’s also known for its delicate golden flowers, carefully plucked and strung in lei. You would need about a thousand flowers to make a single lei. “It’s a real act of love to pick and make an ‘ilima lei,” says Talia Portner, Honolulu Botanical Gardens’ curator and horticulturist. Known as the flower of O‘ahu, the ‘ilima is edible, too, and adds a bright punch of color to salads. You can find ‘ilima near the ocean—it’s common along the Kaiwi Coast on O‘ahu—where it can survive harsh salty sea spray, intense sun, whipping winds and drought. 

5. Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o

Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o is one of only two native Hawaiian white hibiscuses known to have fragrant flowers. Their light, sweet fragrance is strongest in the morning, when the flowers open, and early in the evening before they close. This endemic plant is common in the moist to wet forests of the Wai‘anae and Ko‘olau mountains on O‘ahu, and most botanical gardens in Hawai‘i grow them. The bark of this species can be used for cordage, and its flower buds were used for blood purification. Some koki‘o ke‘oke‘o trees can grow 30 feet tall, Portner says, creating beautiful—and fragrant—forest canopies.

This story was originally published in our SPRING/SUMMER 2026 issue, which you can buy here. Better yet, subscribe and get HAWAIʻI Magazine delivered right to your mailbox.