A LITTLE MORE LIFE
Kokiʻo ʻula
Hibiscus kokio
Native red hibiscus keeps the bold tropical flowers while restoring a Hawaiian species.
MAKE IT FEEL AT HOME
A spot to thrive.
Ask for a nursery-propagated, island-appropriate form; mature size varies greatly, and more sun improves flowering.
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry soil
- Mature size
- 2–30+ ft tall, by form · Spread not specified
- Season of interest
- Year-round flowers
- Local climate
- Choose by island, elevation, and rainfall.
- Garden role
- A red-flowered shrub or small tree
ONE GOOD SWAP
Instead of tropical hibiscus.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Try kokiʻo ʻula for a red-flowered shrub or small tree.
Compare plantsNATIVE TO YOUR PLACE
Find it in your state guide.
Reviewed native coverage. Choose your state to see more alternatives.
Dig a little deeper.
Photo credits & licenses
Kokiʻo ʻula: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0
Tropical hibiscus: Jack Wolf · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Resized, converted to WebP, and cropped in the layout. Each photo retains its listed license. All photo credits