Gossypium tomentosum
Genus
Gossypium
Species
tomentosum
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Huluhulu
- Maʻo
Hawaiian Names
- Huluhulu
- Mao
Common Names
- Hawaiian cotton
Synonyms
- Gossypium hirsutum f. tomentosum
- Gossypium sandvicense
Did You Know…?
The native Hawaiian cotton, or maʻo, helped to save the cotton industry in modern times. When maʻo is crossed with other cotton strains, the resulting commercial hybrids are less attractive to insect pests that destroy cotton crops.
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
At Risk
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Shrub
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Shrub, Dwarf, Less than 2
- Shrub, Small, 2 to 6
Mature Size, Width
Mature maʻo have about a 5- to 7-foot spread. Plants should have a height to width ratio of 2:1.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Ground Cover
- Hedges
Additional Landscape Use Information
If maintained properly by controlling insect pests, providing full sun, and not over watered, maʻo is a wonderful landscape shrub. Do not plant near automated sprinkler irrigation system as these tend to over water these shrubs causing black sooty mold on leaves, stems and trunk. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Plant maʻo with kuluʻī, ʻilima, naio and other dry forest or coastal shrubland plants. The bright yellow flowers, and the silvery green foliage with interesting leaf shape add another visual appeal in the landscape.
Source of Fragrance
- No Fragrance
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Showy
Flower Colors
- Yellow
Additional Flower Color Information
Flowers are bright lemon yellow.
Blooming Period
- Summer
- Fall
- Winter
Additional Blooming Period and Fruiting Information
Maʻo blooms from late summer through winter. Brown capsules containing light brown fuzzy seeds follow the blooming period.
Plant texture
- Medium
Additional Plant Texture Information
The leaves are 3- to 5-lobed. They are from 1 to almost 4 inches wide and are wider than they are long.
Leaf Colors
- Light Green
- Medium Green
Additional Leaf Color Information
Leaf color of maʻo ranges from medium green to grayish silver.
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Maʻo is especially subject to infestations by ants, scale, mealy bugs, and aphids. White flies and red spider mites can also be problematic at times.
Fertilizer
An application of a balanced slow release fertilize with minor elements every six months. Foliar feed monthly with kelp or fish emulsion, or a water-soluble fertilizer with a dilution of one half to one third of recommended strength. Do not apply too much nitrogen for maʻo. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Pruning Information
Maʻo can be pruned to control spread or height. Brown seed cases and seeds can be removed after a while.
Water Requirements
- Dry
Additional Water Information
When plants are well established, water once a month or less. These xeric shrubs do not require much water to stay healthy and flower.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
Additional Lighting Information
Maʻo does best in full sun.
Spacing Information
Plants should be spaced 3 to 6 feet apart.
Tolerances
- Drought
- Brackish Water
- Wind
- Salt Spray
- Heat
Soils
- Clay
- Cinder
- Coral
Limitations
Avoid waterlogged soils. Maʻo does not do well in continuous high rainfall locations.
Natural Range
- Niʻihau
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Kahoʻolawe
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- Less than 150, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 150 to 1000, 0 to 50 (Dry)
Additional Habitat Information
Maʻo can be found growing in coastal plains to dry forests primarily on the leeward sides of all major islands except Hawaii. [1] Apparently it is no longer naturally found on Kauaʻi.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Our native cotton, maʻo, is a member of the Mallow or Hibiscus family (Malvaceae). There are about 40 species in the genus Gossypium.
Maʻo is classified as a New World cotton and is the only member of that group not cultivated. [1]
Etymology
The generic name Gossypium is derived from the Greek name for cotton, gossypion.
The specific epithet tomentosum from the Latin tomentosus or tomentose, meaning "covered with tangeled or matted, woolly hairs."
Background Information
Cotton for cloth manufacturing is obtained from the fuzzy seed coating found in the fruit or capsules. Four species are used commercially cotton species with the Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) generating about 90% of industry use, and American Pima or Sea island cotton (G. barbadense) with 8%--both naturalized species in Hawaii. The remaining 2% between two other species (G. arboreum, G. herbaceum). [4]
It is unfortunate that some have considered maʻo as a "weed" when it is certainly not a common species in many natural areas in the Hawaiian Islands. [7]
Early Hawaiian Use
The name maʻo comes from the Hawaiian word ʻōmaʻo for green and shares the same name as the native Hawaiian thrush, ʻōmaʻo (Myadestes obscurus) which has a greenish cast to its feathers.
The early Hawaiians used the leaves for a light green (ʻōmaʻomaʻo) or a rich red-brown dye. [2,8] Isabella Abbott notes that "any green kapa deserves close scrutiny, too, for the green obtained from maʻo leaves is fleeting, fading within a few days. The Bishop Museum collection contains no kapa that has retained its green coloration, but a few pieces may once have been green, judging by their overall design." [9] The flower petals also produced a yellow dye. [2]
Maʻo flowers were used in lei making. [8]
Apparently, the fibers were also used for medicinal applications much as a cotton swab would be used today. [3] For severe stomach cramps, the dried flowers were eaten along with other plants while also drinking a tea made with maʻo bark and other plants. [6] The flowers and bark of tap roots mixed with other ingredients were used to treat gripping stomach aches, such as during childbirth. [5]
The flowers were sun dried and eaten. Other plant parts were made into a liquid for consumption. [5]
Although the fibers were once used by early Hawaiians for stuffing pillows, it was not used as a fabric. [3]
Modern Use
The native Hawaiian cotton, or maʻo, helped to save the cotton industry in modern times. When maʻo is crossed with other cotton strains, the resulting commercial hybrids are less attractive to insect pests that destroy cotton crops.
A commercial cotton industry was started in Kailua, Hawaiʻi Island in 1838 and lasted for about a century, but never became an important trade.
There is still so much to learn about our flora and the example of maʻo underscores the value of saving our native plants.
Additional References
[1] "Hawaii's Vanishing Flora" by Bert Y. Kimura, page 62.
[2] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 66.
[3] "Amy Greenwell Garden Ethnobotanical Guide to Native Hawaiian Plants & Polynesian Introduced Plants" by Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, page 25.
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossypium [accessed 10/13/09]
[5] http://www.k12.hi.us/~waianaeh/HawaiianStudies/index.html [accessed 8/21/07]
[6] "Native Plants Used as Medicine in Hawaii" by Beatrice Krauss, page 34.
[7] "Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds" by E. L. Haselwood, page 250.
[8] "Nā Lei Makamae--The Treasured Lei" by Marie A. McDonald & Paul R. Weissich, page 91.
[9] "Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants" by Isabella Aiona Abbott, page 57.
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