In old Hawai'i, the petals of this beautiful and delicate flower only adorned the  Ali'i, Royalty. Why?  Each petal was so delicate, and any lei from this flower was strung individually, petal by petal. It took hundreds of petals to make one lei. A lei maker would have to work quickly and diligently to make this lei before the petals wilted. 

Today, the ilima flower is one of the favorite of hula dancers. For me, I love it because of the bright color. It stands out versus blending into your wardrobe. Having a spot of color near your face will draw the eye of the person looking at you to look toward your face (as opposed to looking at other body parts!). Besides, a lei does not have to match your wardrobe to look good. A lei looks good anytime!

The ilima lei is also favored for special occasions. We Hawaiians believe all occasions are special! 

 Sida fallax, known as yellow 'ilima, or ʻilima, as we call it, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, that occurs on some Pacific Islands. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found in drier areas in sandy soils, often near the ocean The latern 'ilima or Royal "Ilima is anotherr variety which also makes a beautiful lei.