Metrosideros polymorpha
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| Metrosideros polymorpha | ||||||||||||||
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 ʻŌhiʻa lehua flowers
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| Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich. |
Metrosideros polymorpha (‘ōhi‘a lehua or lehua), is an evergreen tree of the myrtle family which is endemic to the six largest islands of the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi. It is a highly variable tree, being 20-25 m (65-80 ft) tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on lava. It produces a brilliant display of flowers, made up of a mass of stamens, which can range from fiery red to yellow. Many native Hawaiian traditions refer to the tree and the forests it forms as sacred to Pele, the volcano goddess, and to Laka, the goddess of dance.
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[edit] Distribution
Metrosideros polymorpha is the most common native tree in the Hawaiian Islands, tolerating a wide range of soil conditions, temperature, and rainfall. It grows from sea level right up to the treeline at elevations of 2500 m (8200 ft) and is commonly found in wet and dry forests, subalpine shrublands, and is a colonizer of recent lava flows. It is relatively slow growing. Dominant in cloud forests and rainforests above 400m (1300 ft), the tree is also common in seasonally wet forests, where it may be dominant or in mixtures with the native Acacia koa.
[edit] Habitat
Metrosideros polymorpha may occur as a tall tree or a prostrate shrub, and everything in between. On moist, deep soils, ʻōhiʻa grows to 20–25 m (65–80 ft) high. Specimens reaching 30m (100ft) high are on record. The trunk varies in form. In some trees, it is straight and smooth; in others, it is twisted and prominently fluted. Trees growing in forest often have stilt roots, having germinated on logs or the stems of fallen tree ferns, which have long decayed away when the tree has reached maturity. Some trees have fibrous aerial roots to gather moisture. At high elevations, and in areas with poor soils or little rainfall, shrub forms are the norm. Flowers are usually bright to medium red but orange-red, salmon, pink, yellow, or orange forms are also found. The flowers appear in clusters on the terminal ends of the branches. Masses of stamens extend from the flower and give the blossoms their characteristic pompom shape.
[edit] Uses
In native Hawaiian society, the hard, dark reddish wood of M. polymorpha was used in house and canoe construction, and for poi boards, weapons, tool handles, kapa beaters, kiʻi (statues and idols), and as high quality firewood. The leaves served religious purposes in the construction of heiau while the young leaf buds had traditional medicinal uses. The flowers (lehua) and leaf buds (liko lehua) were used in making lei.
Lehua honey can also be made, but it is generally expensive due to the rarity of lehua. Häagen-Dazs makes ice cream flavored with lehua honey and sweet cream under their "Reserve" line. [1]
[edit] Similar species
There are about 50 species in the genus Metrosideros in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including four other, much more localized species in Hawaiʻi - M. macropus (lehua mamo), M. rugosa (lehua papa), M. tremuloides (lehua ʻāhihi), and M. waialealae (Wagner et al. 1999). They are easily confused with M. polymorpha, and are best distinguished by their leaves.
Metrosideros kermadecensis, from the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand, has recently become naturalized on Maui and may become a pest species. Several cultivars of M. excelsa, the Pōhutukawa tree of New Zealand, have been sometimes planted as ornamentals in Hawaiʻi but are not reported to have naturalized. Metrosideros polymorpha was originally classified as a variety of M. collina, native to Rarotonga, Tahiti, and other islands of Polynesia, but now is generally accepted as truly endemic to Hawaiʻi.
[edit] Conservation
Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaiʻi have been invaded by a myriad of alien species. In the wet forests these include the strawberry guava (Psidium littorale) albizia (Falcataria moluccana), and "purple plague" (Miconia calvescens). In drier areas, problematic invaders include faya tree (Myrica faya) and christmasberry (Schinus terebinthifolius). Alien grasses such as meadow ricegrass (Ehrharta stipoides) may form an understory that prevents or inhibits natural regeneration of the forests. In drier areas, M. polymorpha has to compete with silk oak (Grevillea robusta) and fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum).
[edit] Mythology
In Hawaiian mythology, ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua were two lovers separated by the goddess Pele. Pele desired ʻŌhiʻa and when she could not have him she turned him into a tree. Lehua was devastated by this transformation and out of pity the gods turned her into a flower and placed her upon the ʻōhiʻa tree. Separating these united lovers is not encouraged, and it is said that when a lehua flower is plucked from an ʻōhiʻa tree, the sky fills with rain representing the lovers' tears.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) |
[edit] References
- Medeiros, A.C., C.F. Davenport, and C.G. Chimera, Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest. URL:Ethnobotany of Auwahi.pdf, accessed 3 January 2007.
- Simpson, P., 2005. Pōhutukawa & Rātā: New Zealand's Iron-Hearted Trees. Te Papa Press. 346 pp.
- Starr, F., K. Starr, and L.L. Loope. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 79:20-30.
- 'Metrosideros polymorpha (‘ōhi‘a lehua)', Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry, April 2006, version 3.2. URL:Metrosideros-ohia.pdf, accessed January 1, 2007.
- http://www.lehuaukulele.com/lehua_flowers.htm
