The Tiare 'Aute, the Tahitian hibiscus

laquo; Tiare au mau, te tiare aute Aue o te au e, te uvaa vaa te ahiahi e Oteaue la tapiri mai E au nei au, to papari’a Mai te tiare Te uvaa vaamai i te ahiahi e O te au e ia tapiri mai » – Eddie Lund Generally called tiare ‘aute in Polynesia, the hibiscus travelled a long way before arriving to our islands. From the latin “rosa sinensis”, which means “rose of China”, the one often referred to as island girl is said to be native from Asia and the Pacific islands. In ancient Greek, “hibískos” used to designate the marshmallow, the plant from which the yummy gelatinous sweet is derived. After a smile and a tattoo, it is probably the most beautiful adornment a woman can wear. Thus, along with the tiare Tahiti, the hibiscus is the favourite flower of Tahitian women. Unlike most flowers, known for their fragile and ephemeral nature, the ‘aute’s blossoming happens to last quite a long time and it appears to resist climatic variations. Nevertheless, if you wish to put it on the back of your ear, pick it early in the morning, right after its opening. When the sun goes down, the flower winds up around itself. Do not even think about using it as a last-minute accessory for your tête-à-tête dinner. Used as a little indoor plant in the Northern hemisphere, the hibiscus is to be found everywhere in our islands, it is on the edge of every path and delimits every house. Thus, the rosa sinensis is not to be mistaken for the hibiscus tiliaceus, the second variety which grows in Polynesia and that we commonly call purau.