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Lehua Color Spectrum
Posted: October 23, 2007
The vibrant color of lehua has always inspired me. The vast majority of ohia lehua flowers (Metrosideros polymorpha) are red with shades ranging from crimson to fire-engine red to scarlet. However, the color spectrum of lehua extends beyond red to yellow and orange including shades of lemon, amber, butterscotch, apricot and salmon.
This fire engine red lehua has fuzzy buds. The profuse growth of white hairs on the petals and sepals are an adaptation to conserve moisture and provide protection from the cold. The specimen grows in Waimea on the Big Island.
This crimson lehua is a shade of red that borders on pink. The specimen grows on the summit of Mount Kaala on the Waianae Mountains of Oahu.
This scarlet lehua is a shade of red that borders on orange. The specimen goes on the Koolau Mountains at Poamoho on Oahu.
This yellow specimen is found in Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve on the Big Island.
This yellow specimen has tiny red flecks on its buds and petals. This specimen grows near Puu Kalena along the spine of the Waianae Mountains.
When the flowers of this lehua with an unusual shade of yellow are examined up close, you can see that certains parts of the otherwise yellow flower are red.
The base of each stamen forming a circular ring at the bottom of the flower is red as well as the upper section of the pistil.
In this extreme close-up, you can see the red base of each stamen forming a red circle at the bottom of the flower and the chartreuse green-yellow petals.
When the flowers of this butterscotch lehua are examined up close, the base of each stamen forming a circular ring at the bottom of the flower is orange, while the rest of the flower is yellow. The sepals of this specimen are covered in hair.
When the flowers of this orange lehua are examined up close, the base of each stamen forming a circular ring at the bottom of the flower is a maroon red, while orange is the dominant color. The petals are a chatreuse in color.
An ant visits the fuzzy muo (buds) on this apricot colored lehua. Both leaf and flowers buds are covered in a furry blanket of fine white hairs. This specimen grows at Hoomaluhia State Park in Kaneohe.
Hawaiian tradition speaks of white lehua (lehua puakea) and people claim to have seen it, but science has yet to validate its existence. White lehua is Hawaii’s “Big Foot”. If you’ve seen white lehua with your own eyes, drop me a line. I need to photograph it.