Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands

flower from Hawaii

Hawaii is famous for its natural beauty. It’s little wonder that so many folks opt to take their vacations in this nirvana. This great atmosphere is owed, at least in part, to the numerous gorgeous species of tropical flowers from Hawaii. These outlandish blooms are an immediately recognizable Hawaiian symbol, and have made their way into decor, marriages, and even tattoos.

On Hawaii, a lei is a wreath of flowers given as a present at many parties and other occasions. You can even receive one on your arrival to Hawaii, or at a luau, if you go to one. The flower most frequently seen in a lei is the plumeria, renowned for its fragile pink or white star-shaped blossom. Another flower that you may notice in leis is a lehua blossom, recognizable for its bright flowers and soft, needle-like petals. The lehua is the official bloom of the Enormous Island.

Each island also has its own official flower ; look for these blooms on your next holiday. On Oahu, the official bloom is the yellow ilima, which looks like a tiny hibiscus. It is employed medicinally and for leis. This flower can be discovered growing as groundcover all over the island.

On the big Island, it is the ohia lehua, which is regarded holy to the volcano goddess Pele. This evergreen plant frequently is the first plant to start growing after an area has been covered in lava. It is spiky yet soft, and looks quite exotic even in Hawaii.

Kauai’s official bloom is essentially a plant, not a flower, the anise-scented mohikana. An affiliate of the citrus family, the fruit is employed for the making of wreaths and as an extremely robust scent.

The official flower of Maui is the pink lokelani, which is the sole non-native flower to be elected flowers from Hawaii. Brought to the islands by the Spanish in the 1880s, it’s also called the Maui Rose, and has a pretty velvety color and perfumed smell.

Molokai’s official flower is the white kukui blossom. Originally brought to the islands by the Polynesians, it was once used for medication, dye, food, and decoration. The nuts were eaten and used for oils ; their black dye was once used for tattoos. The wood might be used for making canoes.

Other flowers from Hawaii islands are orchids, anthuriums, heliconias, and ginger. Though there are 3 species of orchid that are local to Hawaii, the remainder of these have all been imported. The heliconia, or bird of nirvana, has a completely unique wax-like appearance. This is one of the most exotic-looking flowers from Hawaii. Anturiums are quite massive, with leaves of many different colors. Botanical gardens across the islands provide adequate chance to see these species and plenty more.