Vaccinium reticulatum
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| Vaccinium reticulatum | ||||||||||||||
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| Vaccinium reticulatum Sm. |
The ʻOhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, and is native to Hawaii, where it grows at altitudes of 640-3,700 m on lava flows and freshly disturbed volcanic ash on Maui and Hawai'i, and less commonly on Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Moloka'i. It shows adaptations to volcanic activity, being able to survive ash falls of over 25 cm depth and being an important colonist of fresh ash deposits.
It is a shrub usually 10-130 cm tall, rarely up to 2 m. The leaves are evergreen, spirally arranged, leathery, oval, 1-3 cm long, red when freshly emerging, then green or green with reddish patches. The flowers are bell-shaped, 8-12 mm long, variable in color, red to yellow or pink.
The fruit is an edible berry 8-14 mm diameter, ranging in color from blue to purple to red to orange to yellow. The color does not necessarily indicate the ripeness of the berries. The berries taste similar to cranberries, less ripe ones being tart, while ripe berries are quite sweet. The berries are an important food source for the Hawaiian Goose; the seeds are dispersed in the birds' droppings.
