Na pua o’ Hawaii:

The theme of this week’s Aloha Friday Pictures of Hawaii is Tropical Hawaiian Flowers.

hibiscus | the hawaii state flower

Well, to be more specific, the yellow hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii and has been since June 6, 1988. The above photograph is one of a pink hibiscus (rosa sinensis). Tropical hibiscus originated in Asia and the Pacific Islands, and happens to be the national flower of Malaysia.

Tropical hibiscus shrubs are very easy to grow as they prefer the sun and enjoy warmer temperatures. In fact, you can practically see them growing in every other yard on a block.

bird of paradise

This tropical flower is actually not native to Hawaii. Rather, it originated from South Africa. It’s very apparent how this flower got its name as the orange and blue part of the blossom has a striking resemblance of an exotic bird that is about to take flight.

plumeria

If I’m not mistaken (and please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), the species of plumeria in the photograph is the Kauka Wilder.

Plumeria cuttings sell for around $30+ on eBay and other online stores. I guess sometimes, I take for granted the beautiful things that I get to see every day such as these tropical Hawaiian flowers…My childhood home had two yellow plumeria trees in the front yard, and around 10 plumeria trees across the street in a vacant field. I see all of these flowers, and more, on a daily basis…many of which grow wild.

tiare

This white blossom flower is a native of Tahiti. The Tiare flower is a type of Gardenia. Its sweet scent is the inspiration of many floral perfumes.

ohia lehua | official big island flower

The Ohia Lehua is the official flower of the Big Island. This flower is indigenous (native) to Hawaii. It is also said, according to ancient Hawaiian myths, to be the flower of the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele. Also according to ancient Hawaiian myths, picking the blossoms of the Ohia Lehua tree will cause rainfall.

white ginger

The white ginger (known in Hawaiian as the awapuhi ula’ula) is also an inspiration for many floral based perfumes. This plant loves the water and can be found in wetter conditions such as the forests.

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