With its fuzzy leaves, ‘uhaloa is more a of pleasure to one's touch than to one's eye. In windswept sites like here on Kaho‘olawe, ‘uhaloa grows close to the ground in order to survive. You will find ‘uhaloa pretty much anywhere in Hawai‘i where there's lots of sunshine and dry weather, even if it's only a gap in the asphalt of a parking lot. (Photographs of windswept, coastline, rocky site, and parking lot ‘uhaloa all courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0.)

Growth Requirements

General

    Let's be honest. ‘Uhaloa looks like a weed. In fact, the Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds by Haselwood & Motter [1983] actually refers to it as "A weed in cultivated areas and waste places." However, if I lived in the fantasy world of the Apple TV+ series SEE — you know, the one with Honolulu-born action movie star, Jason Momoa — ‘uhaloa would absolutely be my favorite Hawaiian plant! Its leaves feel like expensive velvet or the fur of a shorthaired puppy, and you just want to touch them once you know what they feel like. So, what's my point? Well, if you have kids, consider adding ‘uhaloa to your landscape as part of a "see and touch" garden. Your kids will love this plant! ‘Uhaloa also has a long history as a medicinal plant used for sore throats, asthma, and other ailments (see Uses below). So, if you're into natural treatments, ‘uhaloa deserves a place in your garden. ‘Uhaloa does well both in the ground or as a container plant.

    ‘Uhaloa does best in a site with full sunlight for all or most of the day. Once established in the ground (after a few weeks), it requires little to no watering. In fact, you should avoid overwatering this plant since it will likely shorten its lifespan or cause root problems, leading to a premature death. Your plant's soil or media should drain water easily for best growth. However, ‘uhaloa will grow even in poor-draining or degraded soils, provided the soil remains dry most of the time. In-the-ground plants do not need fertilizer unless you want to promote faster growth or a bushy plant. However, repeated fertilization might also shorten the lifespan of your ‘uhaloa.

    ‘Uhaloa can tolerate extreme drought and heat, strong winds, and salt spray. And, as pictured above, ‘uhaloa will grow in just about any type of soil.

    ‘Uhaloa is a short-lived perennial, growing to maturity (i.e., first flowers) in three to six months. Therefore, if you intend to keep it in your landscape long-term, you will have to occasionally replace the dead plant(s); typically, every two to five years. Often, your current plant will do this work for you by dropping seeds directly below it which will then germinate into new replacement seedlings. If you don't see any seedlings below your ‘uhaloa, consider collecting and germinating some of the tiny seeds from your plant. Recent studies (Uses Modern below) have made seed propagation easy. 

    ‘Uhaloa tends to grow naturally into a relatively aesthetic prostrate or upright shape. Therefore, pruning is typically not needed except to remove the occasional dead branch.

Pests and Diseases

    We've encountered few pests on ‘uhaloa. Instead, overwatering is probably the most common cause of premature death. One interesting consumer of ‘uhaloa leaves is the larva of the oriental banner moth (Eublemma anachoresis; syn: Eublemma accedens) pictured below. (Larva photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0; photograph of adult moth courtesy of Cat Chang CC BY-NC 4.0.)

Special Features and Information

General

    ʻUhaloa is a relative of the more familiar hibiscus, both belonging to the Mallow family (Malvaceae), which contains about 4,225 species within 243 genera. Family members include herbs, shrubs, and trees found worldwide, but most commonly in the tropics. Some of the more economically important species include: cotton (Gossypium spp.), cacao (Theobroma cacao), linden (Tilia spp.), durian (Durio spp.), Hibiscus, and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) [Britannica;Malvaceae].

    While there are over 30 native species of Malvaceae in Hawai‘i, the indigenous ‘uhaloa is the only native species in the genus Waltheria [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].

    Hawaiians considered ʻuhaloa a plant form of the pig demigod Kama-pua‘a [Pukui & Elbert 1986]. 

Hawaiian Name

    ʻAlaʻala pū loa, hala ʻuhaloa, hiʻaloa, and kanakaloa are all less commonly used (today) Hawaiian names for Waltheria indica.

• ʻAlaʻala pū loa translates as "a wild-goose chase."

• Hiʻaloa can also mean "bald temple."

• Kanakaloa is a name used by medical kahuna (experts) for Waltheria indica. It translates as "tall person" [Pukui & Elbert 1986].

Etymology

    Waltheria honors Augustin Friedrich Walther (1688–1746), a German physician and botanist. The species name, indica, means "from India" but was also used generally to mean "from the Orient" [Gledhill 2008].