Granite Cliff Studio

The Ohia Lehua tree was officially named the Endemic State Tree of Hawaii recently. It is a beautiful flowering tree that is endemic on 6 of the Hawaiian Islands. For me, this flower represents so much more but it is a great gesture to celebrate the Ohia Lehua’s history and importance. When you see the beautiful red flowers of the Lehua, the mood immediately changes to that of a romance story. Together forever, the resilient branch that grows from lava and searches deep for water and the glowing bright flower that reaches high for the sunlight. Their existence is resilient and strong. Not to overlook the healthy patterned leaves, these appear almost rubber or plastic and are pristine in shape and color. Overall, this plant was made by the gods and it shows. We are truly blessed to witness and observe this creation.

Maui has an ample amount of Ohia Lehua and it is scattered from the east to west, low and high on the mountains. Big Island has forests that stretch for miles but are being threatened by a fungus. I like to talk about time here in the millions, from Niihau to Big Island their birthdays are millions of years apart so they are very different in their evolution. The baby of the islands is only just under a million years old and usually the first plant to grow out of the lava is the Ohia Lehua, so its population has not been overtaken by invasive species, yet. Kauai, over 5 million years old, has diverse plants that have migrated through wind, water and waves. The Ohia here that I have witnessed is in the protected areas where it is easier to control invasive species. The Alakai’ Swamp has low lying shrubs that are so healthy with bright red flowers, different than the tall trees on the Big Island but equally as amazing.

These plants are at risk of rapid ohia death and as stewards of this land please be careful when hiking around these forests. Clean your boots regularly, be sure not to take flowers or damage the tree. Let us enjoy these sacred beautiful plants for many more millions of years.