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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Malvaceae (w/Bombacaceae & Sterculeacea) |
| Origin: Pacific Islands |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Fall |
| Synonyms: [H. kokio ssp. saintjohnianus] |
| Height: 12-20 feet |
| Width: 6-12 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 30-32° F |
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Hibiscus saintjohnianus (Hawaiian Orange Hibiscus) - A shrub or small tree that can grow to 20 feet tall with dark green 2 to 3 inch long elliptical leaves and with individual 2 inch wide orange flowers. This hibiscus comes from a small area between 500 and 3,000 feet in elevation on the northwest side of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands, where it grows in moist forests, cliffs and canyon slopes. It was known as Hibiscus saintjohnianus or Hibiscus roetae, but was reclassified as a subspecies of Hibiscus kokio with the subspecies kokio differing by having hairy leaves and stems, long bracts on the calyx, and red flowers. The subspecies kokio is known to grow on the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and possibly Hawaii while the subspecies saintjohnianus is native only to northwestern Kauai. DNA evidence has supported the evidence to elevate Hibiscus kokio ssp. saintjohnianus back to full species status as Hibiscus saintjohnianus, though some botanical databases still list it as a subspecies of Hibiscus kokio. We also grow another endemic Kauai hibiscus, the red flowering Hibiscus clayi. The name for the genus comes from 'hibiscos' ,the Greek name for mallow. and the specific epithet honors, Dr. Harold St. John (1892-19991), a professor of botany at the University of Hawaii and one of Hawaii's most well known botanists. The St. John Plant Science Laboratory building on the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii, which houses the botany department, is named after him. The previous specific epithet comes from koki?o, the Hawaiian language name for the native hibiscus. Other common names for this plant include St. John's Hibiscus, St. John's Rosemallow, Koki'o, Koki'o 'ula , Koki'o 'ula'ula and Maku. We thanks our salesman Matthew Roberts for sharing the cuttings of this plant from his Santa Barbara garden with us.
This information about Hibiscus saintjohnianus displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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