Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Literature for Hibiscus brackenridgei
Wilson, 1993. Literature for Hibiscus brackenridgei subsp. brackenridgei
Wilson, 1993. Literature for Hibiscus brackenridgei subsp. mokuleianus
Wilson, 1993. Literature for Hibiscus brackenridgei subsp. molokaianus
Wilson, 1993.
   Malvaceae -- The Cacao, Linden, Mallow Family Bibliography
      Hibiscus brackenridgei
General Information
Distribution
Habit
Shrubs to 3 m or trees to 10 m; stems glabrous or finely stellate-pubescent below, stellate-pubescent above, sometimes with prominent aculei.
Leaves
Stipules filiform, 3-15 mm long, sparsely to densely fine stellate-pubescent. Leaves heteroblastic, the leaf nectary 1-2 mm long, on midrib at base of abaxial leaf surface, or sometimes absent, the blades of all leaves adaxially glabrate or finely stellate-pubescent, abaxially finely stellate-pubescent, the margin of all blades serrate to dentate; leaves near base of the plant not seen; leaves at mid-plant: petioles 3-8.5 cm long, sparsely to densely fine stellate- pubescent, or sometimes with a few coarse stellate hairs, the blades ovate or 3-5-lobed, 5-14 cm long x 4.5-12 cm wide, the base truncate to cordate, the apex acute to obtuse; leaves at upper plant: petioles 0.8-9 cm long, pubescent like those at mid-plant, the blades either bract-like and oblanceolate, to 20 x 5 mm long, with cuneate base, serrate margin, and acute apex or shallowly lanceolate to ovate to 3-5-lobed, 15-60 mm long x 8-80 mm wide, the base cuneate to truncate or cordate, the apex acute to obtuse.
Flowers
Flowers solitary, axillary, or sometimes clustered near the apex; peduncles 2-5 mm in bud, elongating to 13-15 mm in fruit, articulating at the base, sparsely to densely fine to coarse stellate-pubescent, sometimes with straight, simple, shiny, pustular-based hairs to 2 mm; involucellar bracteoles 7-11 in number, linear to narrowly subulate, rounded or flattened, 9-25 mm long, pubescent like peduncles, the apex entire; calyx 15 mm in bud, elongating to 35(40) mm in fruit, the lobes acute to long-acuminate at the apex, sparsely to densely fine stellate-pubescent, or sometimes with appressed or matted, shiny, simple (or sometimes 2-forked) pustuliferous hairs, the midrib and marginal ribs green-brown (or brown in mature fruits) or conspicuously red-purple, the nectary on midrib present or absent; corolla yellow, each petal with a small to large red, brownish, or purple basal spot, the petals obovate, 3.5-4.5 cm long x 2-4 cm wide, ventrally glabrous, dorsally sparsely fine stellate-pubescent, or sometimes with a few straight hairs; staminal column 20-40 mm long, red, red-brown, or red-purple below, cream or tan-yellow above, the filaments 0.5-3 mm, the anthers yellow-tan or red-purple, the pollen cream, tan, brown, orange, or red; style branches exserted to 5 mm beyond the stamina1 column.
Fruit
Capsules 12-20 mm long x 12-17 mm in diam., glabrous (?) or sparsely to densely appressed-pubescent, the beak 1-3 mm long, glabrous.
Seeds
Seeds 3-5 mm long x 2-3 mm wide, angular-reniform, light brown to brown with honeycombed markings and pectinate scales, the funiculus small, inconspicuous, light- to dark-brown, sometimes with a fringe of hairs.