MAʻO

Aloha! I’m Ma’o, but some people call me huluhulu or Hawaiian cotton. I’m a species of cotton plant endemic to Hawaii, and live on all the islands except the big island.

About me:

• I’m a shrub, and usually grow to about 2-6 ft tall and 5-7 ft across

• My leaves range from medium green to grayish silver and 1-4 inches wide, and are shaped a little like maple leaves, with 3-5 lobes

• I’m super proud of my bright lemon-yellow flowers, and they bloom from late summer through winter

• After blooming season (during the spring) I have my cotton; capsules containing fuzzy light brown seeds

I love the sun, and grow best without too much watering.

I can deal with heat, wind, drought, and even salt spray.

You can find me growing in low shrublands, coastal plains, and dry forests from elevations of 0-400 ft, and only in Hawaii.

Traditional uses:

• Native Hawaiians use my flowers to make yellow dye

• My flowers are also used in lei making, and can be sun dried and eaten too

• My cotton was once used by early Hawaiians to stuff pillows, but never as cloth or fabric like cotton usually was in other places, guess I’m special that way :)