ʻOhiʻa Lehua
Genus: Metrosideros polymorpha
Indigenous vs Endemic
Information!
Uses :
The wood from the ‘Ōhi‘a tree was important to Hawaiian culture. It was used to build houses. The ‘Ōhi‘a blossoms were also used to make lei.
Facts :
‘Ōhi‘a is a type of tree, known as Pele, the fire goddess’, flowerThere are 5 different species of ‘Ōhi‘a. They are mainly known for their flower ranging from many different colors, such as yellow, red, white, and pink.
Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death (also known as ROD)
ROD is a fungus called ceratocystis, that kills the ‘ōhi‘a tree by sucking out all the water. ROD was identified in 2014. As of right now, ROD is only found on Hawai‘i island, and Kaua‘i. According to the University of Hawai‘i : College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, things you can do to help the lehua are to avoid injuring any ‘ōhi‘a, don’t transfer and move any ‘ōhi‘a, and to clean gear, tools, shoes, clothes, and tires before and after entering forests.
Moʻolelo :
‘Ōhi‘a and Lehua were in love with each other from the moment that they met. ‘Ōhi‘a was a strong good looking man. Lehua was a beautiful woman who was as “fragile as a flower,” and ‘Ōhi‘a and Lehua got married. One day Pele spotted ‘Ōhi‘a in a forest nearby, and watched him work. She instantly fell for him, and went to go talk to him. However she became enraged at ‘Ōhi‘a and Lehua’s marriage. So jealously enraged, she dropped her human disguise, and transformed into a column of fire, and she struck ‘Ōhi‘a down, transforming him into an ugly tree for disregarding her advances. Lehua begged Pele to turn ‘Ōhi‘a back into a man or to turn her into a tree, but she refused, and left. When the other gods had seen what had happened, they turned Lehua into a beautiful red flower, and placed her onto the ‘Ōhi‘a tree, where her and ‘Ōhi‘a could be together forever.
However it is believed that when the red ‘Ōhi‘a blossoms are picked, a heavy rain falls like tears, because Lehua can’t bear to be apart from ‘Ōhi‘a.
