Sea hibiscus

The sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus L.), also called beach hibiscus, coast cottonwood, mahoe, purau or hau, is an evergreen coastal tree of the mallow family (Malvaceae), 4–10 m tall, occasionally to 15 m, with a broad spreading crown and a trunk often twisted by sea winds. Leaves are alternate, broadly heart-shaped (nearly round), 9–20 cm long, glossy green above and softly hairy beneath, with 5–7 veins radiating from the base; the large stipules fall early, leaving clear scars. Flowers are 8–12 cm across, bright yellow with a dark maroon centre, turning orange then red by the afternoon before falling within the day — a hallmark of the species; the calyx is cup-shaped with 5 fused sepals. Flowering is nearly year-round, peaking in the hot dry season.

Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026

The fruit is a woody, flattened round capsule that splits into 5 valves, packed with small glandular-hairy seeds buoyant in seawater, which have carried the species across the tropical Pacific islands. The greyish bark has tough inner fibres — traditionally woven into mats (hence the Vietnamese name tra làm chiếu, 'mat-making tra'), made into rope, baskets and boat caulking; the light soft wood served for small rafts. Young leaves are used to wrap food and eaten in some regions; flowers and bark feature in folk medicine for coughs, fevers and inflammations. The tree grows along seashores, sandy beaches, the inner edge of mangroves and riverbanks throughout the tropics of Asia, Africa and the Americas and across Pacific islands; in Vietnam it is common on the central and southern coasts, planted as windbreaks and seaside shade trees.

Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026