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Plant Profile

White Kauai Hibiscus (Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae)

Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae flower closeup.

Photo Credit: David Eickhoff

Global Rank: T1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Malvaceae
State: HI
Nature Serve ID: 136416
Lifeform: Shrub, Tree
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae is a gray-barked tree/shrub with fragrant white flowers with a red stamen in the center. The flowers of Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae are slightly smaller than the flowers of Hibiscus waimeae ssp. waimeae, and its leaves are larger than those of ssp. waimeae. This plant is one of the only hibiscus species in the world known to have fragrant flowers.

Where is White Kauai Hibiscus (Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Typically grows in diverse mesic forest at elevations between 1,960 and 2,600 ft.

Distribution:

Native to the northwestern part of the island of Kauaʻi in Hanakāpīʻai, Limahuli, and Kalihi Wai valleys.

States & Provinces:

White Kauai Hibiscus can be found in Hawaii

Which CPC Partners conserve White Kauai Hibiscus (Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae)?

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

Harold L. Lyon Arboretum

Not Sponsored

Assigned 07/24/23

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Center for Plant Conservation

12/02/2021

The purpose of this project was to establish additonal sub-populations of Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae on managed conservation land owned by National Tropical Botanical Garden. Roughly 300 individuals were planted throughout Limahuli Valley between 1997 and 2003. Most originated from seeds collected from wild plants in Limahuli Valley, but some were clones of the wild trees. All plants were planted into managed restoration sites in areas away from the wild occurrences. Survival rates were nearly 90% after 5 years, with most plants overtopping weedy competitors. Plants flower and produce abundant seed crops but very little recruitment has been observed.

01/01/2010

pigs competition with alien plant species risk of extinction from naturally occurring events and/or reduced reproductive vigor due to the small number of remaining populations

01/01/2010

ca 75 individuals in 2 populations two populations with 75 to 125 individuals arefound on State and private land