Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Milo grows from coast to about 900 feet elevation and can become a huge tree. DLNR photo

MILO IS PLANT OF THE MONTH for The Ka'u Calendar column Lāʻau Letters: Native Plants of Kaʻū. The monthly article shares information on Kaʻū's native plants and their moʻolelo (stories), uses, preferred habitats, and opportunities to adopt them for stewardship. This column by Jodie Rosam with art by Joan Yoshioka seeks to encourage making new plant friends and to reunite with others.
    Milo, Thespesia populnea, is celebrated in the Hawaiian language: He milo ka lāʻau, mimilo ke aloha.
"Milo is the plant; love goes round and round."–ʻŌlelo Noʻeau No. 818 (Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983)
    Description: Milo is a small tree or shrub in the Mallow or Malvaceae family, much like its cousins hau and maʻo hau hele. As a long-lived tree species, milo can reach a spread of 30 - 40 feet at maturity, though in Kaʻū, we typically see them slightly. The leaves are a glossy yellow to dark green, and the typical hibiscus-shaped flowers open bright yellow in the morning and turn to shades of orange in the evening. Both the fruits and gray, papery seed capsules are salt tolerant and can germinate after a year floating at sea, which is why milo is found along coastlines across the Pacific. Milo is referenced in the Kumulipo (Hawaiian Creation Chant): Born is the Laumilo eel living in the sea. Guarded by the Milo tree living on land.
    Uses: Milo's uses are nearly endless - it is no wonder why it was brought to Hawaiʻi Nei. The wood was prized for making ʻumeke (food bowls and calabashes), pā (platters), and even small canoes, and is still used in woodworking today. Cordage can be made from the fibrous inner bark, and the fruits make a lovely yellowish-green dye, as well as produce an oil with medicinal antiseptic qualities. The green fruits and young leaves are considered to be edible when cooked and of course, milo trees offer protection from the sun and salt spray along the coastline.
    Habitat: In Hawaiʻi, milo is found across all of the main islands (except Kahoʻolawe) and grows at sea level to about 900' elevation, though it could probably be planted even higher. Milo tolerates light or heavy soils and thrives in sand and even volcanic substrates. It loves coastal sites near streams and estuaries which are exposed to tidal influence and can even tolerate the occasional inundation, and thrive in brackish water pools. In Kaʻū, milo thrives along the shoreline across the entire district!
    Growing and Purchasing: Milo is easy to care for and can be an excellent tree for properties that constantly battle wind (and even salt spray). It is easy to propagate from the plentiful seeds it produces year-round (look on the ground under your favorite milo tree). The steps are simple: visit a milo and say hello, collect a seed capsule, dry it in the sun, open it up to remove the seeds, and plant them! Alternatively, bare root seedlings (which are also often found under mature milo trees) can also be collected to expedite the process. Your milo will be ready to put into the ground (full sun, please) once they reach about 12" tall and have been hardened in their new home.
    About the artist: Joan Yoshioka says she is a conservationist at heart and has dedicated her life to preserving the native plants and animals of Hawaiʻi through her work with federal, state, and private organizations over the past 30+ years. She describes herself as an outdoor-lovin' optimist, biologist/botanist, and habitual creator of art-stuff. She says the key to our most fundamental and truest part of ourselves is found in nature and she constantly draws on it for inspiration.
    About the author: Jodie Rosam says she has a deep love for native plants and a passion for exploration, with over 15 years of experience in working in the restoration of Hawaiʻi's forests. As a mother and an educator, she says the next generation has the power to lead the world to a sustainable future, and is committed to teaching her children (and others) from a place-based perspective.