Ōhia Lehua

ʻŌhiʻa lehua is the most important tree in Hawaiʻi's forests and the first life to return to bare lava. Its scarlet pompom blossoms — really bundles of stamens — feed the native ʻapapane and ʻiʻiwi, whose curved bills evolved alongside them.

The old story tells of ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua, two lovers. When Pele's affection was refused she turned the young man into a twisted tree, and the gods, in pity, made the girl its flower so the two would never be apart. Picking a lehua blossom, it is said, brings rain — the tears of the parted lovers.

Today the tree faces Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, a fungal disease that has killed more than a million trees. Islanders are asked to clean shoes and gear between forests. Sitting with this one is a small act of attention toward a tree worth keeping.