lehua

The word lehua refers to the striking, usually red blossom of the endemic ʻōhiʻa tree, and it is a fundamental term used by locals, cultural practitioners, and hula dancers across Hawaii. It is used respectfully when discussing native flora, lei making, or Hawaiian mythology, and is rarely used casually or as slang.

In Hawaiian culture, the ʻōhiʻa tree and its lehua blossom represent the star-crossed lovers ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua. According to legend, the volcano goddess Pele turned ʻŌhiʻa into a twisted tree after he rejected her advances. The other gods, taking pity on the heartbroken Lehua, turned her into the flower upon his branches so they would never be separated. It is a widely held local belief that picking a lehua blossom will cause it to rain, representing the tears of the separated lovers. Because of this, and to protect the fragile native ecosystem from diseases like Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, it is considered highly disrespectful and bad luck to pick the flowers.

The rental Jeep was parked halfway off the pavement near the Iao Valley lookout, hazard lights blinking in the thick morning fog. Keoni sat in his Tacoma, sipping his lukewarm Zippy's coffee, watching the mainland couple trample through the damp ferns. The woman was pointing excitedly at the bright red flowers, pulling down a branch to snap a picture for her social media.

"Watch," Keoni muttered to himself, rolling down his window just enough to hear the sharp snap of the wood. The guy had actually broken off a massive cluster of lehua to tuck behind his girlfriend's ear. They were laughing, completely oblivious to the heavy, dark gray clouds already stacking up against the jagged green peaks directly above them.

By the time Keoni shifted into drive to head back down to Wailuku town, the first fat drops of rain were already hitting his windshield. You don't pick the lehua unless you want the sky to cry, but try explaining that to someone who thinks the whole island is just a prop for their vacation. They were going to be absolutely soaked before they even made it back to the Jeep.