Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_hibiscus_tiliaceus
Sea hibiscus
Hibiscus tiliaceus
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About Sea hibiscus
Sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is indigenous in the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Sprawling shrub or small tree usually 2–10 m tall, occasionally taller.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomy, nativity, island-level occurrence, growth form, names, and source conservation assessments are documented in the 2026 census audit. Broader ecology and conservation recommendations still require claim-level source review. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 3,428 plants under Hibiscus tiliaceus across 3 entries dated 1927–1932. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Hibiscus tiliaceus
- Common names
- Sea hibiscus · hau
- Hawaiian names
- Hau
- Other names
- Sea hibiscus · Hibiscus tiliaceus · Talipariti tiliaceum · Hibiscus tiliaceus var. henryanus · Hibiscus tiliaceus var. sterilis · Hau
- Record type
- Species or taxonomic group
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Indigenous
- Conservation status
- Smithsonian checklist assessment: Apparently Secure; U.S. source status: No Status
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Island-level occurrence is retained; finer locality is intentionally withheld. Growth-form tags describe the taxon across its range, not a measured Kauaʻi population. Checklist source statuses are not a new legal-status determination. Current census nativity is indigenous; older accounts may describe Polynesian introduction. Cultural cultivation and transport history remain distinct from native status.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Stream mouths · Wetlands · Coast · Disturbed lowland edges
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable soil or substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable propagules and suitable establishment conditions
- Shelter
- Suitable soil, substrate, and vegetation structure
- Growth form
- Tree; Shrub
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Overgrowth in altered sites, removal, hydrologic change
- Conservation actions
- Site-specific management: protect native function, control only where harmful
- Monitoring
- Site-specific management: protect native function, control only where harmful
- Data gaps
- Additional ecological and conservation citations are recommended
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is indigenous in the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Sprawling shrub or small tree usually 2–10 m tall, occasionally taller.
Sources and further reading
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hibiscus-tiliaceus-SF25232-06.jpg
- https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043
- https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/hawaiianflora/speciesdescr.cfm?genus=Talipariti&species=tiliaceum
- https://mnbg.org/hawaiian-native-plant-collection/hau-hibiscus-tileaceus/
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30143354-2
