Metrosideros polymorpha
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 Ōhi'a lehua flowers
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| Metrosideros polymorpha |
Metrosideros polymorpha ( 'Ōhi'a lehua or Lehua), is an evergreen tree of the myrtle family which is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being 20-25m (65-80ft) tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on lava. It produces a brilliant display of orange-red flowers, made up of a mass of stamens. 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
M. polymorpha is the most common 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
M. polymorpha may occur in as a tall tree or a prostrate shrub, and everything in between. On moist, deep soils, ‘ōhi‘a 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 orange-red but 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 redddish wood of M. polymorpha was used in house and canoe construction, and for poi boards, weapons, tool handles, kapa beaters, 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 and leaf buds (liko lehua) were used in making lei. The wood was important in the making of images (ki’i).
[edit] Similar species
There are about 50 species in the genus Metrosideros in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Wagner et al. 1999). M. kermadecensis, from the Kermadec Islands north of New Zealand, is considered a pest species on Maui. Several cultivars of M. excelsa, the Pōhutukawa tree of New Zealand, have been sometimes planted as ornamentals in Hawai‘i but are not reported to have naturalized. M. 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 Hawaii.
[edit] Conservation
M. polymorpha forests in Hawai‘i have been invaded by a myriad of alien species. In the wet forests these include the Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum) Albizia (Falcataria moluccana), and Miconia calvescens. In other areas, problematic invaders include Morella faya, Christmas berry (Schinus terebinthifolius). Alien grasses such as Meadow Rice Grass (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 Hawai'ian mythology, Ohia and Lehua were two lovers separated by the goddess Pele. Pele desired Ohia 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 Ohia tree. Separating these united lovers is not encouraged, and it is said that when a lehua flower is plucked from an ohia tree, the sky fills with rain representing the lovers' tears.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- A. C. Medeiros, A. C., Davenport C. F., 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.
- '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
