Maʻo (Gossypium tomentosum)

Hawaiian name: Ma‘o (Huluhulu)
Botanical name: Gossypium tomentosum
Family: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)
Status: Endemic, vulnerable
Where found: All main islands except Hawai‘i
Water/Light: Full sun, dry
Elevation range: 0 to 390 feet
Height: 8 feet, with an up to 15-foot spread

 

This silvery shrub is native to leeward coastal plains with rocky or clay soil but since those areas are widely developed, wild populations are rare. Of 39 known species of cotton (Gossypium), 38 have extrafloral nectaries. Not the endemic Hawaiian ma‘o! It does not attract ants, so has been used in cotton breeding. Ma‘o, ‘ōma‘oma‘o and ma‘o ma‘o all mean "green”. Flowers and egg white result in a green kapa dye. Dried ma‘o flowers were used together with other plants for medicine for stomach cramps.

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