ʻŌhelo ʻai

Description

Vaccinium reticulatum, known as ʻŌhelo ʻai in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family, Ericaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It grows at altitudes of 640–3,700 m (2,100–12,140 ft) on lava flows and freshly disturbed volcanic ash on Maui and Hawaiʻi, and less commonly on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Molokaʻi. Adaptations to volcanic activity include the ability to survive ash falls of over 25 cm (9.8 in) depth. ʻŌhelo ʻai is a shrub usually 0.1–1.3 m (0.33–4.27 ft) tall, rarely up to 2 m (6.6 ft). The leaves are evergreen, spirally arranged, leathery, oval, 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) long, red when freshly emerging, then green or green with reddish patches. The flowers are bell-shaped, 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long, variable in color, red to yellow or pink.