Infograph Research

‘Ōhi‘a lehua

1.) Belongs to the myrtle family, the same as guava and eucalyptus.
2.) Its genus name, Metrosideros, is Greek for "heart of iron,"referring to its hard wood.
3.) Before, ‘Ōhi‘a lehua trees grew as tall as 100 feet on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
4.) The lehua blossom is normally red, but may also be orange, pink, yellow, or, rarely, white.
5.) The ‘Ōhi‘a lehua was dedicated to Pele in ancient Hawai‘i.
6.) The flowers, capsules, and leko were used for lei.
7.) The wood was used for construction and for making idols, spears, and mallets.
8.) Legend has it, picking of the Lehua flowers can cause it to rain.
9.) The red lehua blossom is the official flower of the Big Island.
10.) Another legend is: one day Pele met a handsome warrior named Ohia and she asked him to marry her. The problem was Ohia had already pledged his love to Lehua.  Pele was furious when Ohia turned down her marriage proposal, so she turned Ohia into a twisted tree.  Lehua was heartbroken, of course. The gods took pity on Lehua and decided it was an injustice to have Ohia and Lehua separated.  So, they turned Lehua into a flower on the Ohia tree so that the two lovers would be forever joined together.

Citations:
Krauss, Beatrice H., and Martha Noyes. "‘Ōhi‘a Lehua." Plants in Hawaiian Medicine. Honolulu: Bess, 2001. 103-06. Print.
"Hawaiian Plants - 'Ohi'a Lehua." Hawaiian Plants - 'Ohi'a Lehua. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Plants.ohia>.
Beal, Sheila. "The Lehua Blossom on the Ohia Tree." The Lehua Blossom on the Ohia Tree. N.p., 4 Sept. 2008. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/09/04/the-lehua-blossom-on-the-ohia-tree/>.