Hula Girl Hibiscus


Hula Girl hibiscus

Ruby Tuesday
Hula Girl hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinesis)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This bright yellow blossom with the ruby red throat is the Hula Girl hibiscus, another cultivar of Hibiscus rosa-sinesis.  This hibiscus has several interesting characteristics that set it apart from other hibiscus varieties.   First of all, the blossom is larger than most.  The average Hula Girl blossom is about 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 cm) wide -- definitely the largest hibiscus blossom in our garden.   (In fact we think their size makes them look a bit like yellow satellite dishes!)

Another characteristic of the Hula Girl hibiscus is that, unlike most other hibiscus varieties, the blossom does not immediately wilt and die when it is picked from the bush on which it grows.  Because it stays fresh for quite awhile after it is picked, this variety is the one you will most often see worn by hula dancers in their hair, or tucked behind the ear, and that is said to be how the Hula Girl hibiscus got its name.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this photo! Very nice!

Paz

marcia@joyismygoal said...

I guess you did not want your red eye on your camera when you took this one:) That is a lovely flower

maryt/theteach said...

OMG, Bobbie! That's a gorgeous hibiscus with just a touch of RED! Love it! It's not the gargoyle... :)

Michele said...

It's beautiful!! And I love the literature that you had included with it! Wonderful!
~Michele~
Mountain Retreat- Canada

♥peachkins♥ said...

I love the colors in the photo...WOW!

Happy Ruby Tuesday!!

Here's mine:
Chips and Salsa and
Shabu-shabu on the go

RW said...

Awesome shot Bobbie and a very nice addition to RT! :D

Anonymous said...

The little spread of red on the hibicus is just right :)

Jim said...

I learn. Thank you Bobbie, I always did like the flowers those girls wear but didn't give it a second thought as to what kind they could be.
Their dress is sooooo pretty. While we were over there we attended a couple of luaus. At first I worried about the poor little pig but got over that. Nowadays I worry about all little pigs on the way to market.

Yes, I did have a piñata to break. And it was not in the blog because I did not like the way I looked in the picture.
We will be at that orphanage in Guatemala again this year for my birthday, I will try to hold my stomach in while I break the piñata just in case someone takes a picture. :-)

I had in mind candles for the cake, there weren't any around.

Gattina said...

It looks like a flower here, but I never know the names ! beautiful !

Robin said...

How pretty, and very tropical looking.

Gemma Wiseman said...

What a stunning close up shot! I don't think I have ever seen one of these so close before! Really beautiful!

EG CameraGirl said...

Such a pretty hibiscus, Bobbie! I love the touch of red in the centre.

Ivanhoe said...

I did not even know there is a yellow ibiscus. It's lovely :o)

Dianne said...

I really love the pale yellow color!

Carletta said...

Beautiful!
Hula Girl Hibiscus - love the name.

Patti said...

Lovely hibiscus with just a spot of red.

Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Raven said...

Gorgeous photo. I enjoyed scrolling down the page too (even went back beyond this page). Love that toad. He remind me of Yoda in Star Wars. But back to the present. This is a gorgeous flower. It was nice to learn a bit about it too.

BNS said...

Thanks to all of my Ruby Tuesday friends for visiting and commenting.

@ Raven - I'm laughing at your description of the toad resembling Yoda. I'll probably think of that now every time I see one of those toads. :-}

Bobbie

Mojo said...

I'm not used to seeing these in yellow. Nice shot!

Celeste said...

Great photo - much prettier than a satellite dish :)

Becky said...

I've never seen a yellow Hibiscus. This is beautiful!

2sweetnsaxy said...

Such a beautiful shade of yellow and such a great picture of it.
:-)

Traci said...

Wow - what a beautiful flower!! I love the touch of red.

BNS said...

Thank you all for your enthusiastic comments.

Bobbie

Gowri Mohanakrishnan said...

What a beautiful bloom. The hibiscus is a favourite flower in West Bengal, India, where I live on a tea garden. A boy once brought ous cuttings of hibiscus for our garden, and it was from him that I first learnt that hibiscus came from Hawaii. It was exciting to catch the picture of this Hawaiian beauty. Do see some of ours at http://seventhchords.blogspot.com/2008/09/durga-puja-is-next-week-and-theres-that.html

kRiZcPEc said...

I know this flower, yet I haven't seen a yellow one before. Thanks for sharing

BNS said...

Thank you, Gardenia and kRiZ cPEc, for stopping by.

Bobbie