He Onaona no ka Pua Aloalo
Kuʻu wehi ʻaʻala o ka uka o Makaua
Kahi a ka ua e hoʻoheno mau ai
E hāliʻi aku ana i ke alo o Papa
Me he kapa hau anu, anoano hoʻi ē
Hāliʻaliʻa wale ka manaʻo aloha
I ka pūnana onaona he hoa pili nō
Hāloʻiloʻi ka wai luʻuluʻu o luna
Hiohiolo wale ka pua o ka waimaka
E kuʻu makamaka i ka poli o ka nahele
I nā kīpolipoli o ka uka huʻi ē
ʻElua kāua i ke aloha i ka mauna
ʻEkolu i ke ʻala pua aloalo lā ē
My scented adornment of the Makaua uplands
Where the rain always comes to caress
Covering the face of Papahānaumoku
Like a blanket of white snow in the silence
The thoughts return with affection
To the nest of fragrance that is a dear friend
The sorrowful waters above pool up
Tears fall like tumbling blossoms
My dear companion in the bosom of the forest
In the nooks and crannies of the cold uplands
We are two in our love for the mountain
Three with the sweet fragrance of the pua aloalo
Much like the deep delight and mahalo one feels when coming upon a large ʻieʻie bramble or an untrammeled patch of palapalai, walking under a grove of pua aloalo trees in full bloom is a surreal experience. The ground is littered with white blossoms, like fallen stars or delicate whitecaps on a dark ocean. Before you see the grove, a wall of scent hits you first, as Hibiscus arnottianus is one of very few fragrant species of Hibiscus in the world. Their unmistakable ʻala (fragrance) is both sweet and fresh. Also called kokiʻo keʻokeʻo, this species is found on O‘ahu, in both the Ko‘olau and Wai‘anae ranges (not to be confused with its very similar cousin Hibiscus waimeae on Kauaʻi, or the all white h. arnottianus subsp. immaculatus on Molokai). These blossoms have firm white petals and bright pink sexual parts that command attention. Like hau and other plants in the Malvaceae ʻohana, they have wale (slime), so they are consumed by wahine hāpai (pregnant women) to help ease delivery. Tear the petals off into your salad for a tasty treat. Pua aloalo likes to grow in wet to mesic forests, often forming groves near streams. Unfortunately these habitats are increasingly more compromised, with alien plants and animals encroaching and causing damage. Supporting conservation efforts that mālama the habitat of these beautiful trees will help ensure the continued health of wild populations. He pua aloalo ‘a‘ala e - A fragrant hibiscus flower.
