Thespesia populnea
Malvaceae or Mallow family
Synonyms: Hibiscus bacciferus, Hibiscus populneus
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Milo
Indian tulip tree, Pacific rosewood, Portia tree, Portiatree
Natural Range & Environment
HI exc. Ka
Pantropical in littoral habitats, although apparently native only to the Old World.In the Hawaiian Islands, indigenous to Ni`ihau, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i.
Milo is known to grow in protected coastal sites near streams exposed to tidal influence and not far inland from sea level to about 900 feet. Trees and shrubs can be found growing naturally at the high tide line above mangrove, but can tolerate an occasional brackish water tidal inundation.
Milo is apparently not as common as in the past due to over harvesting in some areas.
This is probably an indigenous tree. However, to date, there is no conclusive evidence to support milo as indigenous. [6,12,14] Even so, milo is also one of the canoe plants that the Polynesians brought with them to the islands, and certainly not invasive as its non-native cousin hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus), also brought in by the early settlers.
The fruits and seeds are salt tolerant and are distributed island to island by sea. The seeds will germinate even after a year in seawater. [15]
Milo flowers, with their center-red throats (photograph courtesy of Krzysztof Ziarnek CC BY-SA 4.0) only last a day, turning from yellow to pinkish-purple as they age (photograph courtesy of Wendy Cutler CC BY 2.0). The fleshy green golfball-size fruits of milo become dry and brown to black as the ripen (photograph courtesy of Steve K CC BY-NC 4.0) with each capsule containing a handful of fuzzy seeds (photograph courtesy of hola_lola CC BY-NC 4.0). On the coastline, it not unusual to see both milo seedlings (photograph courtesy of actgnyc CC BY-NC 4.0) and kou (Cordia subcordata) seedlings popping up between the rocks or from the sand. However, while milo seed leaves are smooth, the seed leaves of kou are ruffled (see Cordia subcordata for photograph). People often confuse milo and hau (Talipariti tiliaceum), particularly when there are no flowers or fruits to examine. However, you can still always tell them apart by looking at their leaves: the underside of milo leaves is smooth and hairless, while the underside of hau leaves are fuzzy (photograph courtesy of M5tama CC BY-SA 4.0).
Milo trees come in many shapes and sizes depending upon the environment they find themselves in. Here are just four examples: A small windswept tree very near the ocean (photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0); a young and very wide tree in fertile inland soil; a massive older tree in an irrigated beachpark (photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0); and a minature tree confined to a bonsai pot (photograph courtesy of Biswarup Ganguly CC BY 3.0). Have children? Milo are very kid-friendly (photograph courtesy of Carlisilverman CC BY-SA 4.0)!
Description
Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
Tree, Large, Greater than 50
Milo can over several decades have a copy spread of 30 to 40 feet at maturity. The oldest trees have a spread of nearly 70 feet. [15]
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
No Fragrance
Milo wood has a nice spicy fragrance only when fresh, disappearing when carved into finished wood products.
The leaves are shiny yellow to dark green.
Blooming Period
Year Round
Growth Requirements
General
Accent
Container
Hedges
Provides Shade
Screening
Specimen Plant
Milo is easy to grow and care for, although it can be considered messy since it drops numerous leaves and dry seed capsules year round. This is an excellent tree for coastal properties that constantly battle with wind and salt spray.
Foliar feed young milo trees once a month in early morning with a water soluble or an organic fertilizer (e.g. kelp or fish emulsion) at one-third to one-fourth the recommended strength. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Milo is not a self-pruning tree. It recovers slowly from pruning, so best to be selective about which parts and the amount to prune at any one time.
Dry
Soil must be well drained
Milo prefer full sun.
Tolerances
Waterlogged Soil
Drought
Brackish Water
Wind
Salt Spray
Heat
Soils
Clay
Sand
Cinder
Organic
Coral
Pests and Diseases
Milo does not appear to be bothered by many pests.
Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for treatments to eliminate or control these pests.
Uses
Ancient Hawaiian
Milo was popular as a shade tree among the early Hawaiians, but had many practical uses as well. [16]
The inner bark was used for its fiber as such and for corage, but was somewhat inferior to hau for these purposes. [16]
The fruits produce a yellowish green dye. [3,9,16]
Early Hawaiians found young milo leaves, flowers, and flower buds to be edible. [5,9,10,15,16]
The beautiful wood was prized by early Hawaiians, second only to kou, to make food bowls (ʻumeke milo), poi calabashes, platters (pā milo), and dishes because the wood gave no unpleasant taste to the food like some other native woods, such as koa. [1,3,5,10,14,15]
The yellow flowers were used by lei makers. [7]
Milo was considered a sacred tree and the use prohibited by commoners. [4] The house of King Kamehameha I in Waikīkī was surrounded by milo. [9,16
Other Uses:
The bark was used as cordage. [3,9] Milo also produced medicine, oil, and gum from plant parts. [3,9,16]
Modern
Today, the seeds are sometimes strung for permanent lei. [2]
The dark heartwood is moderately heavy, durable, and easy to work with. The wood has low shrinkage rate when drying [15] and has been fashioned into beautiful items such as carvings, bowls and platters. [11,12,13] Milo is also used in boat building and in cabinet making. [15]
In Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the tropics, milo is sometimes used as street or park trees, or as a living fence. [15]
Uses Outside of Hawaiʻi:
In the West Indies, where cotton is an important crop, this naturalized species is eradicated because it is a host of the cotton stainer (Dysdercus sp.), a red insect that stains fibers of growing cotton. [15]
Special Features and Information
General
Milo is a member of the Mallow family or Malvaceae. There are eighteen species in the genus Thespesia but perhaps the best known and widely distributed one is the pantropic portia or milo (Thespesia populnea).
This is probably an indigenous tree. However, to date, there is no conclusive evidence to support milo as indigenous. [6,12,14] Even so, milo is also one of the canoe plants that the Polynesians brought with them to the islands, and certainly not invasive as its non-native cousin hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus), also brought in by the early settlers.
The fruits and seeds are salt tolerant and are distributed island to island by sea. The seeds will germinate even after a year in seawater. [15]
Even though the flowers and young leaves are reported to be mildly poisoness, [15] milo is one of the few plants that were listed as an emergency food during World War II in a manual called “Emergency Food Plants and Poisonous Plants of the Islands of the Pacific” by the War Department. It states that “the purpose of this manual is to aid the individual who becomes separated from his unit…so that this individual can live off the land.” It then briefly identifies the plant and how to prepare it. [8]
Hawaiian Name
Milo means to twist, curl, or spin. This name is also used in the Marshall Islands and American Samoa. [15]
Etymology
The generic name Thespesia is derived from the Greek thespesios, divine, referring to T. populnea, which was collected in Tahiti by Captain Cook's expedition in 1769 and was reported to be a sacred tree and planted around places of worship.
The specific epithet populnea, poplar-like, likely in reference to the leaves resembling some poplar (Populus spp.) tree species.
Additional References
[1] "Arts and Crafts of Hawaii" by Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter H. Buck), pages 37-38.
[2] "Hawaiʻi's Seeds and Seed Leis--An Indentification Guide" by Laurie Shimizu Ide, pages 96-97.
[3] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 23, 66.
[4] "Plants of the Canoe People" by W. Arthur Whistler, page 210.
[5] "Plants of Old Hawaii" by Lois Lucas, page 56.
[6] Dr. David Burney, NTBG (pers. comm.)
[7] "Nā Lei Makamae--The Treasured Lei" by Marie A. McDonald & Paul R. Weissich, page 92.
[8] “Emergency Food Plants and Poisonous Plants of the Islands of the Pacific” by the War Department (April 15, 1943), page 70.
[9] "In Gardens of Hawaii" by Marie C. Neal, pages 563-564.
[10] "Resource Units in Hawaiian Culture" by Donald D. Kilolani Mitchell, pages 120, 130-131.
[11] "Hawai'i's Plants and Animals--Biological Sketches of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park" by Charles P. Stone & Linda W. Pratt, page 63.
[12] "Back to the Future in Caves of Kauaʻi--A Scientist's Adventures in the Dark" by David A. Burney, page 128.
[13] "Contemporary Woodworkers" by Tiffany DeEtte Shafto & Lynda McDaniel, page 188.
[14] "Paradisus: Hawaiian Plant Watercolors" by Geraldine King Tam and David J. Mabberley, page 40.
[15] "Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced)" by Elbert L. Little Jr. and Roger G. Skolmen, pages 222-223.
[16] "Ethnobotany of Hawaii" by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 163.
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