09/23/2023
The ʻōhiʻa lehua, Metrosideros polymorpha, is a flowering evergreen tree that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaiʻi. It is the state tree of Hawai‘i. 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. ʻŌhiʻa trees grow easily on lava, and are usually the first plants to grow on new lava flows.
