There’s a Flower For Every Hawaiian Islands – Hawaii Magazine

Hawaiʻi is the land of gorgeous pua (flowers). From the coastlines to the fiery crater of Kīlauea, uncommon and beautiful flowers could be discovered rising throughout the Islands. These flowers have been essential symbols in Hawaiian tradition. Tales of the Hawaiian gods are sometimes linked to many flowers, whereas some varieties had been as soon as used for medicinal functions by early Hawaiians. And when the flowers are strung collectively, they create beautiful lei. Right now, lei is synonymous with Hawaiʻi as an emblem of aloha. Nonetheless, what’s much less recognized are the pua that signify every island. Whereas the maʻo hau hele, the yellow hibiscus, is the state flower, every of the eight predominant Hawaiian Islands has its personal official flower and colour, too. 

1. Hawaiʻi Island — ʻōhiʻa lehua 

Because the youngest island, Hawaiʻi Island remains to be being formed by the energetic volcanoes spewing lava, the place it’s additionally mentioned the fireplace goddess Pele lives. The Huge Island’s colour is fiery crimson and the intense crimson ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is the island’s official flower. The resilient tree grows in a spread of environments, together with the crater of the energetic Kīlauea volcano the place it has tailored to develop in lava rock.  

The flower can also be the topic of a moʻolelo (legend). One model tells the story of when Pele met a powerful warrior named ʻŌhiʻa. She requested him to marry her, however ʻŌhiʻa already pledged his like to Lehua. Raging with sizzling fury, Pele turned ʻŌhiʻa right into a twisted tree. Lehua was left alone and devastated. The opposite gods took pity on Lehua and determined to show her right into a flower on ʻŌhiʻa’s tree so the 2 lovers might be united. The legend says if the lehua flower is picked, ʻŌhiʻa will cry and his tears come down as rain.  

2. Maui — Lokelani rose  

The colour of the Valley Isle is pink from the petals of the island’s flora emblem, the Lokelani rose. The flower is a Damask rose and is extremely aromatic however extraordinarily uncommon. And apparently, the rose will not be native to Hawaiʻi like the opposite flowers. 

3. Lānaʻi — okayaunaʻoa

The golden kaunaʻoa (Cuscuta sandwichiana ) paints the island of Lānaʻi orange. The Hawaiian dodder is an endemic vine, rising low to the bottom alongside seashores and coastlines. The skinny, leafless stems are yellow or orange and are generally dotted with tiny flowers. Whereas the dainty flowers are fairly stunning, the vegetation are parasitic. The vine wraps itself round different species to attract sustenance. In historic Hawaiʻi, kaunaʻoa was mixed with different vegetation to deal with colds, clear out the gastrointestinal tract, and help girls earlier than and after childbirth. 

4. Kahoʻolawe — hinahina kū kahakai

Kahoʻolawe is the smallest of the eight predominant Islands and uninhabited. The island is marked by the colour grey from the silvery hinahina kū kahakai (Heliotropium anomalum). The shrub blankets seashores and rocky coastal areas with its silvery-green leaves. It’s believed these leaves had been used to make medicinal tea. The plant additionally produces small, white aromatic flowers.

5. Molokaʻi — pua okayukui nut

The kukui tree produces small, delicate flowers.
Picture: Getty Photographs

Molokaʻi is roofed in inexperienced and it’s fittingly the colour of the island. There are not any chain eating places or companies, simply open land the place it looks like old-school Hawaiʻi. The island’s flower is the pua from the kukui tree, which can also be known as the candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccanus). The ivory-colored flowers are delicate with a lightweight perfume. The kukui tree can also be the state’s official tree. Early Hawaiians first introduced kukui from Polynesia as a canoe crop. Kukui served many functions together with a lightweight supply as a result of the oil from the kernel is extremely flammable. The kernels had been strung collectively and lit one after the other. Right now, kukui nuts are sometimes strung collectively to create lei. (Don’t fear, these lei usually are not flammable.)

6. Oʻahu — ʻilima 

The ʻilima flower is part of the Hibiscus household.
Picture: Getty Photographs

Nicknamed the Gathering Island, Oʻahu is bustling with residents, guests, companies and infinite actions. The island’s colour is yellow, and its flower is the pua from the ʻilima (Sida fallax), an herbaceous plant within the Hibiscus household. Historical Hawaiians harvested the golden flowers for medicinal functions and lei. Right now, the flowers are nonetheless used for stinging collectively flowers, however as a result of the blossoms are paper-thin, it requires between 500-1,000 flowers to create a single lei.

7. Kauaʻi — mokihana berry

The plush Backyard Isle is teeming with daring flowers and verdant vegetation. The island’s colour is a regal purple and its flowers come from the endemic mokihana tree (pelea anisata). The native citrus tree grows in moist forests solely on Kauaʻi. As mokihana interprets to odor or perfume, the tree’s skinny leaves give off a powerful scent resembling anise when crushed. The intense inexperienced berries are strung collectively to create beautiful lei. 

8. Niʻihau — pūpū shell 

Not like the opposite islands, Niʻihau doesn’t have a flower. As an alternative, it’s recognized for its extraordinary white shell lei, the place the colour originates from, too. There are small, beautiful white shells which can be discovered solely on the island of Niʻihau. The shells are like diamonds and strung into luxurious lei. The lei are true artistic endeavors and might promote for a whole bunch and hundreds of {dollars}.