Hau (Hibiscus tileaceus)

Photo courtesy of MNBG

Hawaiian name: Hau
Botanical name: Talipariti tiliaceum (formerly Hibiscus tileaceus)
Family: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)
Status: Indigenous (formerly Polynesian introduced)
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, O‘ahu & Kaua‘i (Mi/ FF/ HI exc. Ka; probably HI)
Water/Light: Dry to wet, with full sun exposure
Elevation range: 0 to 1,000 feet
Height: Up to 25 feet, with an up to 30 foot spread

Hau is an amazingly useful plant. Its fibers were made into cordage (rope), which was used in almost every facet of life in early Hawai‘i. The light wood was fashioned into spars for outrigger canoes and floats for fishnets. Hau, along with olomea, was also used in igniting fire. In lāʻau lapaʻau (Hawaiian medicine), the sap and flower buds were mixed with other plants to create remedies for chest congestion, dry throat and labor pains. Spreading branches are known to form impenetrable thickets and this is a large tree with aggressive roots, so avoid planting hau close to irrigation valves, sidewalks, and structures.