The first flower to bloom after a lava flow, the lehua flower has been seen as a symbol of strength in Hawaiian culture since ancient times. Famous in songs and myths, the storytellers of old would never fail to attach their descriptions of beauty to the vibrant red lehua blossoms.

In chants composed for the hula dance, the lehua is used figuratively to describe a warrior, beloved friend, relative, sweetheart, or expert. The plant has many forms, from tall trees to low shrubs, and while there are many varieties of the lehua, the flowers are commonly red, but are also rarely found as salmon, pink, yellow or white.

The official flower of the island of Hawai’i, the lehua is the flower of the ‘ohi‘a tree whose blossoms are sacred to the volcano goddess, Pele. Hi‘iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele, the favorite younger sister of Pele and patron goddess of the hula dance, treasured her beloved groves of lehua given to her by Pele at Puna, Hawai’i. Lei of lehua are also tossed into the crater at Kïlauea as an offering to Pele.

The mountain slopes of Pele’s domain are forested by ‘ohi‘a lehua, the tree being ‘Ohi‘a and the blossom being Lehua. According to ancient myth, they were once a man and a woman...

The young man ‘Ohi‘a and his beautiful companion Lehua were inseparable lovers. Pele became attracted to ‘Ohi‘a and came to him in the form of a beautiful young woman. His affections being entirely devoted to his love, Lehua, he paid her no attention and Pele’s envy grew into a rage that killed them both.

Reproached by her sisters, Pele’s fiery temper cooled and she grieved over what she had done. Repentant, she turned ‘Ohi‘a’s body into a tree and Lehua’s into a flower of that tree. This is why the rough bark of the ‘ohi‘a tree is masculine in appearance and the feathery lehua blossoms are feminine. In this way, the two lovers have become inseparable for eternity.