Ma'o hau hele, or Hibiscus brackenridgei, is one of Hawaii's endemic plants and is also the state flower. It was found on all of the main islands in dry and mesic forests, but it is now rare and endangered. It is one of five endemic Hibiscus species found in the islands. Endemic species grow here but nowhere else in the world. Hawaii's high rate of endemism is one of the factors that makes it unique. Photos by Priscilla Millen

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