'Ohi'a Lehua

Aloha. The 'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is the most common native tree in the Hawaiian Islands. It grows from sea level up to the tree line (2,500 m / 8,200 ft) and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, temperature, and rainfall. It is most commonly found in moist and dry forests, high shrublands, and is a colonizer of recent lava flows. The slow growing 'Ohi'a Lehua, is also dominant in cloud forests and in seasonally wet forests, where it may be dominant or form mixtures with the native Acacia koa.

The tree gets its name from the Legend of 'Ohi'a and Lehua. 'Ohi'a was a handsome young warrior who fell in love with the fair Lehua. Pele, the Volcano Goddess, was also attracted to the young warrior, but he refused all of Pele’s advances. Pele persisted and finally, in a fit of rage, she transformed 'Ohi'a into a gnarled tree. Lehua, broken by the loss of her lover, pleaded to the gods for help, but Pele’s curse could not be undone. In order to reunite the lovers, Lehua was transformed into flowers on the gnarled 'Ohi'a tree. It is said that if one takes the Lehua flowers from the 'Ohi'a tree, the clouds will burst into tears and form rain from the parting of the lovers.

The model set includes 2 highly detailed ʻŌhiʻa Lehua branches in various floral colors, which are perfect for Hawaiian birdlife to perch on in close-up, detailed renders, plus there are high resolution billboard style trees and a forest. Also included are photograph backgrounds from the author’s adventures on the Big Island.