Native Hawaiian plants can be very slow growers. Once I waited a year for a loulu seed to germinate. “Don’t give up!” I was told by an experienced nursery woman after nine months.
About 10 years ago a friend gave me three seeds of Kokia drynarioides, an endangered native hibiscus, from a tree which grew on her property. Two of the three seeds germinated, but only one seedling survived beyond a year. Koki’o, to give it its Hawaiian name, is a tree that can grow up to 25 feet high. But mine, after 10 years, is only a little more than two feet high. Despite its small stature, several months ago I was shocked to see four buds come out (one later succumbed to the Kona low storm). And now the first bud has bloomed into a magnificent scarlet blossom whose petals curve and twist over one another, very different from the more usual flat hibiscus flowers we commonly see. This was well worth the wait.
Koki’o is a dry forest plant, so it needs sun and excellent drainage. Wet forest people can keep it, but only in a water-restricted environment such as a pot on a lanai. This Big Island endemic is very rare in the wild, but persists in cultivation due to the efforts of dedicated horticulturalists. In the meantime, koki’o is patiently waiting for better days.
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