Hibiscus tiliaceus
Tree Hibiscus
‘Au RR
f.MALVACEAE
Hibiscuses
Hibiscus tiliaceus
Tree Hibiscus
‘Au RR
f.MALVACEAE
Hibiscuses
Cook Islands Status Summary
Show Notes
Intl. NamesTree Hibiscus EN Beach Hibiscus EN Vau EN , Purau FR
Local Names‘AuRR,MG,AT,MK,MT,AK Pū‘auMK ‘Au AngoMT ‘Au MaraMT BurauPL PurauMH,RK PūlouPK,NS
Pacific NamesFau SAM
Sci. NamesHibiscus tiliaceus (accepted name)
, Talipariti tiliaceum, Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. tiliaceus, Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. hastatus, Pariti tiliaceum, Paritium tiliaceum
High Tax. Eng.k.Plants, p.Flowering Plants, f.Hibiscuses - a tree
High Tax. Latink.PLANTAE, p.ANTHOPHYTA, c.MAGNOLIOPSIDA, sc.DILLENIIDAE, o.Malvales, f.MALVACEAE
Natl. PresencePresent
Sth. PresenceRR++++MG++++AT++++MK++++MT++++AK++++PLPMN+TK+
Nth. PresenceTN-MHPRK++PK+NSPSW+ L
VouchersMN1974
PK2004
SW1985
Local OriginNative; Resident; OR Introduced; Polynesian; Naturalised
Global RangeNative: Tropical Africa - Asia/Australia (Japan - NSW) - Pacific (MICRO, MELA - POLY) - Americas (Mexico - Brazil); Introduced: Polynesia Native vs Polynesian Introduction uncertain;
HabitatLand; Lowlands, Horticultural Zone; Uplands
ThreatenedNo Content
InvasivenessInvasive; Wilderness, Agriculture; by out-competing plants
BiosecurityNo Content
Medical StatusMedicine
Harmful StatusNo Content
UsesMaterial - for timber, for fibre
IdentificationSprawling tree to 15m. LEAVES alternate, heart-shaped, large, to 30x25cm, base lobed, tip sharp, topside glossy dark green, underside dull pale green. FLOWER small terminal clusters; large, 7x7cm(LxØ), open at night with 5 large petals – yellow, nextmore... day turning red and discarded. FRUIT ovoid, 2cmØ, within 5 long sepals. SEEDS kidney-shaped, to 5mmL; float in seawater and viable for months.
Similar SpeciesNo Content
Interest NoteIt seems most likely that Hibiscus tiliaceus originated in Amore...sia and initially spread westward across the Indian Ocean and eastward across the Pacific. One way or the other it very anciently reached the Americas where it now has a variety or subspecies or very closely-related species native on the tropical Pacific and Atlantic coasts. This tree of tropical America is variously named: Hibiscus pernambucensis Arruda 1810, Hibiscus tiliaceus pernambucensis, or Hibiscus tiliaceus var. pernambucensis depending on the interpretation of its status. The interesting case for it as a separate species is found at: http://www.mcapel.hpg.ig.com.br/galls/malvaceae/Hperntili/index_eng.html.
The seeds float in seawater and are viable for several months which probably accounts for its wide distribution, although as a very useful tree it was probably also introduced to islands where it was absent.
It might be native to the Society Islands, although on Mo'orea it appears in the pollen record in post-settlement samples only indicating that it was a Polynesian Introduction there [Parkes 1997]. However this species is commonly not found in modern pollen records indicating that its absence is not a reliable indicator of its presence in local vegetation. Plants of Hawaii (Wagner et.al.) notes that it is not possible to decide between native and Polynesian Introduced for Hawaii.
The seeds float in seawater and are viable for several months which probably accounts for its wide distribution, although as a very useful tree it was probably also introduced to islands where it was absent.
It might be native to the Society Islands, although on Mo'orea it appears in the pollen record in post-settlement samples only indicating that it was a Polynesian Introduction there [Parkes 1997]. However this species is commonly not found in modern pollen records indicating that its absence is not a reliable indicator of its presence in local vegetation. Plants of Hawaii (Wagner et.al.) notes that it is not possible to decide between native and Polynesian Introduced for Hawaii.
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Threatened
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Biosecurity
Citation Information
McCormack, Gerald (2026) Cook Islands Biodiversity & Ethnobiology Database, Version 2026.03.16 - Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at https://naturalheritage.gov.ck/cibed
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