Lehua

Description

Metrosideros polymorpha, the ??hi?a lehua, is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawai?i. It is a highly variable tree, being 20�25 m (66�82 ft) tall in favorable situations, and a much smaller prostrate shrub when growing in boggy soils or directly on basalt. 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 hula. ??hi?a trees grow easily on lava, and are usually the very first plants to grow on new lava flows. It is a common misconception that the word ??hi?a is used to refer to the tree and that the word lehua refers only to its flowers. The Hawaiian Dictionary (Pukui and Elbert 1986: 199) defines lehua with these words: "The flower of the ??hi?a tree... also the tree itself emphasis added." Thus the Metrosideros polymorpha may be referred to correctly as a lehua tree, or as an ??hi?a lehua, or simply an ??hi?a.