Quick answer: 18 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Hawaii, 1 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
18 species
- Florida hopbush Dodonaea viscosa · 1 states
- Hinahina kū kahakai Heliotropium anomalum · 1 states
- Kou Cordia subcordata · 1 states
- Koʻokoʻolau Bidens menziesii · 1 states
- Koʻoloaʻula (red ʻilima) Abutilon menziesii · 1 states
- Maʻo (Hawaiian cotton) Gossypium tomentosum · 1 states
- Maʻo hau hele (Hawaiian yellow hibiscus) Hibiscus brackenridgei · 1 states
- Naio Myoporum sandwicense · 1 states
- Nehe Lipochaeta succulenta · 1 states
- Pāʻūohiʻiaka Jacquemontia sandwicensis · 1 states
- Pōhinahina (beach vitex) Vitex rotundifolia · 1 states
- Pōhuehue (beach morning glory) Ipomoea pes-caprae · 1 states
- Wiliwili Erythrina sandwicensis · 1 states
- ʻAkia Wikstroemia uva-ursi · 1 states
- ʻAkoko Chamaesyce celastroides · 1 states
- ʻIliahi alo‘e (coastal sandalwood) Santalum ellipticum · 1 states
- ʻIlieʻe Plumbago zeylanica · 1 states
- ʻŪlei Osteomeles anthyllidifolia · 1 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Hawaii: what to know
18 of the 30 plants native to Hawaii in this directory fit this need: 60% of the state's list, above the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in March. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 11 are also good for pollinators.
17 of them grow in full or partial sun and 1 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Nehe and Pōhinahina (beach vitex) to trees such as Florida hopbush and Kou. For wildlife, 11 support pollinators and 5 provide food or cover for birds.
1 of the 18 has a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Florida hopbush Dodonaea viscosa · Sun · blooms Mar-Nov