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Maʻo or Hawaiian cotton Malvaceae Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands Oʻahu (Cultivated)

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. 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." The flower petals also produced a yellow dye.

Maʻo flowers were used in lei making.

Apparently, the fibers were also used for medicinal applications much as a cotton swab would be used today. 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. The flowers and bark of tap roots mixed with other ingredients were used to treat gripping stomach aches, such as during childbirth.

The flowers were sun dried and eaten. Other plant parts were made into a liquid for consumption.

Although the fibers were once used by early Hawaiians for stuffing pillows, it was not used as a fabric.

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.

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