burao

English

Hibiscus tiliaceus - foliage

Hibiscus tiliaceus - flower

Alternative forms

• burau

Noun

burao (plural buraos)

1. A tropical flowering tree, cottonwood hibiscus (Talipariti tiliaceum, syn. Hibiscus tiliaceus), found in the South Pacific.
   • 1896, Robert Louis Stevenson, In the South Seas:

     Overhead was a thatch of buraos, and over these again palms brandished their bright fans, as I have seen a conjurer make himself a halo out of naked swords.

   • 1978, Patrick O'Reilly, Painters in Tahiti, →ISBN, page 26:

     Tiares, hibiscuses, frangipani and flowered buraos smile to those who return and are not the least bit surprised by their faithfulness.

   • 2002, Brian J. Bresnihan, Keith Woodward, Tufala Gavman, →ISBN, page 331:

     There was a particular tree, the burao, used for fencing and the construction of indigenous huts, which had the ability to recover whatever the treatment it received.