Sida fallax, known as yellow ilima[1] or golden mallow,[2] is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, indigenous to the Hawaiian Archipelago and other Pacific Islands. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found in drier areas in sandy soils, often near the ocean. ʻIlima is the symbol of Laloimehani and is the flower for the islands of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and Abemama, Kiribati.
It is known as ʻilima or ʻāpiki in Hawaiian[3] and as kio in Marshallese,[4]te kaura in Kiribati, idibin ekaura in Nauruan,[5] and akatā in Tuvalu.[6]
In Hawaiian religion, the ʻilima flowers are associated with Laka, the goddess of the hula, and the plant's prostrate form with Pele's brother, Kane-ʻapua, the god of taro planters.[7] Lei made from ʻilima were believed to attract mischievous spirits (thus its alternative name, ʻāpiki), although some considered them to be lucky.[8]
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sida fallax". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
^Velde, Nancy Vander (August 2003). "The Vasuclar Plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands" (PDF). Atoll Research Bulletin. 503. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History: 1–141. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.503.1. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
^"Native plants of the Marshalls". Republic of the Marshall Islands Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism. RMI Office of Environmental Planning and Policy Coordination (OEPPC). April 2004. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
^Thaman, R.R. (August 1987). "Plants of Kiribati: A Listing and Analysis of Vernacular Names" (PDF). Atoll Research Bulletin. 296. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution: 1–42. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.296.1. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
^Naikatini, A. (2021). Field Guide for the Biodiversity Rapid Assessment Program (BioRAP) of Funafuti Atoll, Nukulaelae Atoll, Niutao Island and Vaitupu Island, Tuvalu – Technical Report (PDF) (Report). Vaiaku, Tuvalu: Ridge to Reef Unit, Department of Environment. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
^Thaman, R.R. (May 1992). "Batiri Kei Baravi: The Ethnobotany of Pacific Island Coastal Plants" (PDF). Atoll Research Bulletin. 361. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History: 43. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.361.1. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
Sidafallax, known as yellow ilima or golden mallow, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, indigenous to the Hawaiian...
or ʻIlima may refer to: Ilima (ward), administrative ward in Tanzania Sidafallax, a plant native to Hawaiʻi, the island flower of Oʻahu This disambiguation...
(Lipochaeta succulenta), pokulakalaka (Munroidendron racemosum), and ʻilima (Sidafallax). B. insignis is now extinct in the wild, having been in decline for...
native plant species include akiʻaki (Sporobolus virginicus), ilima (Sidafallax), naupaka kahakai (Scaevola taccada), and pili (Heteropogon contortus)...
grandifolium, Abutilon incanum and Abutilon molle), Sida species (Sida cordifolia, Sidafallax, Sida meyeniana and Sida rhombifolia) and Datura species. They mine...
approximately 800 mm (31.5 in). Little vegetation exists on Starbuck; stunted Sidafallax scrub and low herbs and grasses predominate, along with a few Cordia...
Policy Coordination (OEPPC). Retrieved 7 September 2019. Scientific name: Sidafallax English name: ? Marshallese name: kio "Walking on eggshells". The Australian...
(ʻakia), and Heteropogon contortus (pili). The habitat also includes Sidafallax (ʻilima), Sophora chrysophylla (māmane), Lycopodiella cernua (wāwaeʻiole)...
and on the sandier parts, Sidafallax, also growing up to 2 m tall, is abundant. On the southeastern peninsula, S. fallax grows more stunted, and Polynesian...
of which nine are indigenous.The island is largely covered in stunted Sidafallax scrub, low herbs and grasses. Few, if any, of the clumps of stunted Pisonia...
kāwelu (Eragrostis variabilis), ʻakoko (Euphorbia degeneri), and ʻilima (Sidafallax). There are only about 30 individuals remaining, and they are threatened...
the island slopes, such as Chenopodium sandwicheum and ilima bushes (Sidafallax). Unique species include: Pritchardia remota fan palm, the only tree...
removed. Native coastal plants, such as naupaka (Scaevola spp.), ʻilima (Sidafallax), hala (Pandanus tectorius), ʻāheahea (Chenopodium oahuense), akoko (Euphorbia...
or sparse endemic bunchgrass, ʻihi (Portulaca molokiniensis), ʻilima (Sidafallax), or alena (Boerhavia herbstii), the latter being more abundant on broken...
repens are common grassland plants. Shrublands are dominated by ʻilima (Sidafallax), ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), naupaka (Scaevola spp.), hinahina kū kahakai...
geese live on the grounds. Native plants in the area include ʻilima (Sidafallax) and 'akia (Wikstroemia foetida). Common tropical trees and plants on...
bee visits several native Hawaiian plants, such as Scaevola coriacea, Sidafallax, Sesbania tomentosa, Myoporum sandwicense, Santalum ellipticum, and Vitex...
grassland dominated by Lepturus repens, the creepers Portulaca spp., Sidafallax, and Sesuvium portulacastrum, the grass Eragrostis whitneyi, and occasionally...
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