Crown Flower vs. Milkweed: Another of My Maine-to-Hawaiʻi Connections

One of the things I love about living here in Hawaiʻi is I am still discovering connections between my life here and the place where I grew up—Maine. Sometimes those connections appear in the most unexpected places, like our garden.

Growing up in Maine, I always loved what we called Milkweed. I remember it because it became a fun tradition to gather the caterpillars and watch them turn into Monarch butterflies every year in the late Summer and early Fall. I don’t remember ever seeing Milkweed flowers. I just remember Maine summers always being hot and very short and I assumed that they just didn’t flower.

Then, we moved to Hawaiʻi and discovered Crown flower when my daughter and I joined a hālau. At first, Crown flower reminded me of the Milkweed I knew growing up in Maine. As it turns out, there was a reason for that.

I did a little Google research and learned: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and Crown flower (Calotropis gigantea) aren’t the same plant, but they are botanical relatives in the Milkweed family. Crown flower is even sometimes called Giant Milkweed. Both have the characteristic milky sap and are also associated with Monarch butterflies.

The Crown flower plant here in Hawaiʻi looks the same as to me as the Milkweed of Maine with one difference. Here, the plant stays alive year round and it actually has beautiful flowers and they are purple, no less. They also come in white but I love the purple.

The flower itself is so unique, its petals curve backward around a the center which makes it look like a tiny crown—which helps explain the name Crown flower, or pua kalaunu.

I already loved it just because it was purple but then I learned about its connection to Queen Liliʻuokalani and I was even more intrigued. The purple crown flower was known as one of Queen Liliʻuokalani’s favorite flowers and has long been associated with her. That gave this beautiful plant an entirely new meaning for me. It wasn’t just a tropical version of something that reminded me of Maine anymore. It was part of Hawaiʻi’s history. The crown flower became even more meaningful during the time we were part of a hālau and participated in the Liliʻuokalani Festivals in Hilo. Such amazing experiences! Hundreds of Hula dancers gather together adorned in honor of Queen Liliʻuokalani and dance at the same time while helicopters fly over head and drop flowers.

Today, when I see Crown flower growing I still catch myself thinking Milkweed. Funny thing, Milkweed here is a completely different plant. It still attracts the caterpillars and Monarch butterflies but does not look the same at all. I actually thought I was remembering a different plant when I went to buy one at the local nursery.

After all these years of calling Hawaiʻi home, I am still discovering little connections between the place I grew up and the island where I chose to build my life. Sometimes, all it takes is a flower.