Hawaii Islands Flowers

Adopted in 2000

Each of the Hawaiian Islands has its own emblem as designated by the Territorial Legislature in 1923. The State of Hawai'i also has its own emblem. These symbols are all flowers or plants, except for Ni'ihau's emblem, which is a seashell. Each Hawaiian Island is also represented by a color associated with its emblem.

Each Hawaiian island also designates an official flower or lei material -

Hawai'i: red pua lehua ('ohi'a blossom),

Maui: lokelani (pink Damask rose),

O'ahu: pua 'ilima,

Kaua'i: mokihana berry, Moloka'i - Pua Kukui (blossom of candlenut tree),

Lana'i: kauna'oa (native dodder), Ni'ihau: pupu (tiny seashells), and

Kaho'olawe: hinahina (native beach heliotrope).

Hawaii Islands Flowers

Each Hawaiian island has its own designated official flower:

Oahu Flower

Oahu's flower is the yellow ilima (Sida fallax), which is a very popular flower used for leis. Each flower is about an inch across and somewhat resembles a small hibiscus. Early Hawaiians used ilima flowers as a cure for general illnesses. Juice from the pressed flowers was given to children, and pregnant women sometimes ate the flowers until childbirth.

Big Island Flower

The official flower of the Big Island is the red ohia, which is the blossom of the native ohia tree. Lehua blossoms can also be orange, yellow or white. The flower is often used for leis. It's said that the lehua flower is sacred to Pele, Hawaii's volcano goddess.

Kauai Flower

Kauai's flower actually isn't a flower at all: The mokihana (Pelea anisata) is a green berry grown only on the slopes of Mount Waialelae. Strung like beads and woven with strands of maile, these hardy berries have a scent of anise.

Maui Flower

Maui's flower is the pink lokelani (Rosa damascena), or pink cottage rose. Brought to the Islands in the 1800s, the lokelani is prized by gardeners for its beauty and fragrance. The lokelani is the only non-native plant to be recognized as the official flower of any of the Hawaiian islands.

Molokai Flower

The flower of Molokai is the white kukui blossom (Aleurites moluccana). These tiny white flowers are popular among Island lei makers.

Lanai Flower

Lanai's flower is the kaunaoa, or yellow and orange air plant. Lei makers take the thin, light orange strands of this vine and twist them together to form leis.

Niihau Flower

Niihau's designated "flower"is the white pupu shell, found on the shoreline of this rocky island. Even uninhabited Kahoolaw has its own official flower, the hinahina (Heliotropium anomalum), a silver-gray plant whose flowers and stems are used in lei making.

Hawaii Law

The law designating the individual island flowers of the islands found in the Hawai`i Revised Statutes, Volume 1, Chapter 5, Section 5-16

Volume 1.
CHAPTER 5. EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS.
SECTION 5-16

§5-16 State flower and individual island flowers. The native yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei A. Gray), also known as the Pua Aloalo or Ma'o-hau-hele, is established and designated as the official flower of the State.

The 'ōhi'a lehua (metrosideros macropus M. collina), also known as the pua lehua, is established and designated as the official flower of the island of Hawai'i.

The lokelani, also known as the damask rose (rosa damascena), is established and designated as the official flower of the island of Maui.

The pua 'ilima from the native dodder shrubs (sida fallax) is established and designated as the official flower of the island of O'ahu.

The mokihana from the native tree (pelea anisata) is established and designated as the official lei material of the island of Kaua'i.

The pua kukui, also known as the candlenut tree (aleurites moluccana), is established and designated as the official lei material of the island of Moloka'i.

The kauna'oa, also known as the native dodder (cuscuta sandwichiana), is established and designated as the official lei material of the island of Lana'i.

The pūpū, also known as the momi, laiki, and kahelelani, is established and designated as the official lei material of the island of Ni'ihau.

The hinahina or native heliotrope (heliotropium anomalum, var. argenteum) is established and designated as the official lei material of the island of Kaho'olawe. [L 1988, c 177, §1; am L 2000, c 165, §3]

Cross References

Lei Day, see §8-13.