Though some of those words describe the nature of the rain falling on lehua blossoms, the same Hawaiian legend also eludes to an additional relationship between lehua blossoms and the rain, the tears of the two lovers, Ohia and Lehua, when they are separated. The wood is of fine even texture and takes a good polish. It is the first tree to appear on new lava flows where it offers watershed protection. ... Cured 10ft Ohia … The color of Ohia Lehua ranges from light brown to redish in color. We are told this ‘Ōhi‘a ai gives nice big, juicy and dark red fruit. Thus, a variety of trees from the Shorea genus tend to be mixed together to make luan plywood. We take pride in reclaiming, recovering, and salvaging wood that would otherwise have been burned, chipped, or thrown in our landfills. Sam Ohu Gon III, senior scientist and cultural adviser at the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, said ohia wood was used for weapons, hula instruments, homes and temples in ancient Hawaii. The uses of wood. Bark liquid, combined with salt could be used to heal lacerations. Honduras Mahogany. It’s said that shortly after a lehua flower is picked, it will rain. The documents and maps available on this site are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. This high shrinkage, coupled with the interlocked grain, causes robusta to be a wood … For flooring, it is seen on Oahu mostly in luxury real estate. The disease is ravaging populations of the tree on Hawaii Island, and has resulted in a permanent ban on taking ohia lehua plants from the island. The uses of wood. Ohia is used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and the native Hawaiians used it even for tools. Desperate, Lehua then beseeched the other Gods to intervene. The wood is very buoyant, and many people are surprised to learn that balsa wood is often used in building rafts, life preservers, and other types of items that are designed to float. NANO wood sealant $50 (N. Kona) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. The loss of the tree would be catastrophic not only to native forests, but also to Hawaiian tradition and storytelling. The color of Ohia … Kailua Home for Sale with Ohia Post in Front Entry. The hardy native ohia lehua is one of the first plants to recolonize otherwise barren lands blanketed in lava, and perhaps because of its ability to thrive in Pele’s creations —or perhaps because of its ashy bark and explosion of blooms that come in bright and fiery orange, yellow, pink and red—many associate the plant with the Hawaiian fire goddess. Ohia branches are used to create traditional kalaau, or dancing sticks, and branches bearing both woody parts and flowers to symbolize the male and female elements adorn kuahu (altars) when hula students are in training. Yellow-brown and striped wood used occasionally for veneering and cabinet work; this highly ornamental tree also yields stunning masses of yellow flowers. It the most abundant tree on the Big Island. When mashed or chewed the bark of this tree was taken for sore throats. Our large inventory of seasoned Ohia posts and poles are peeled, sorted and ready for delivery. But Pele isn’t the only god associated with ohia lehua. It is one of the few honey plants native to Hawaii, and the honey made from its flowers has a subtle floral taste. As such, the abundant plant had many uses for early Hawaiians: Ohia’s sturdy wood was used to create weapons, kapa cloth beaters, boards for pounding poi, enclosures and statues; its leaves were used as a medicinal tea; and its flowers and its seeds fed native birds like the apapane and the now-extinct mamo, whose prized feathers—in colors similar to lehua blossoms—were also important adornments in hula and other ceremonies. The trees are in the myrtle family, related to guava and eucalyptus. Its weight is not disadvantageous in flooring, panel-ing, and some construction. To evoke or inspire the Gods and enhance their storytelling, hula dancers traditionally wear lehua blossoms or buds in lei headbands, around wrists and ankles. Hundreds of thousands of trees have already been killed across 34,000 acres of forest. This one … Native Species Backgrounds for Phones, Desktops, and Meetings. I don't have a soundfile of Monterrey Cypress but here is an image of the wood in use… Jeff Anderson (808)939-7218 SLOWLY BUT SURELY. Wood of the ‘Ōhi‘a ai was considered sacred in ancient Hawaii and was used to sculpt kii, religious images. 12 Uses of Wood Product in Everyday Items Throughout Canada, it is widely known that trees are vital to the environment. Ohia Poles, Mango & Monkeypod Slabs, Custom Orders, Milling, Large Inventory. Beyond the legend, ohia lehua has had many uses for native Hawaiians. About this species: The ‘Ōhi‘a ai is not native to Hawaii, rather, this naturalized Polynesian canoe plant is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Yum! wood products used in bridge applications throughout North America are manufactured primarily from softwoods. When mashed or chewed the bark of this tree was taken for sore throats. So why was ohia’s reduced presence at the festival such a big deal? Ohia Poles make great fencing or decorative structural accents for your home and garden. Typically, halau collect their adornments from the forest and return them after the competition. Heat treatment kills the disease. It is essential not to move untreated ohia wood around the state to prevent the spread of rapid ohia … Hawaiians have an abundance of words for rain, and several—like Ka ua lu lehua o Pana’ewa (lehua-shedding rain of Panaewa) and Ka ua Noelehua o Waialeale (the misty lehua rain of Waialeale)—incorporate the word lehua. The wood was used for building and the fruit for eating and making dyes. Interesting Fact: Located on a private family lot in the district of Kōloa/Lāwaʻi, this ‘Ōhi‘a ai was planted well before the Kagimoto family purchased the home in 1992. The wood was used to build houses and fences, create the seats and decks of their famous canoes, and burned as firewood. From shop AlohaCuts. Elastic ratios for various wood species at approximately 12% moisture content - see bottom of webpage. The appearance of luan plywood in different shipments can vary due to this. FEATURED … The tree has impressively survived the famous Hurricane Iniki which had severely damaged two neighboring houses, and possibly even survived Hurricane Iwa in 1982. To learn more about Rapid Ohia Death and what you can do to stop its spread in Hawaii, visit rapidohiadeath.org. Ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is the most abundant and widespread tree in Hawaii. In considering products that might offer an increase in … Comments: State of Hawaii, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Nominated By: Kyle Kagimoto  (The Kagimoto Family). We deliver island wide and ship off island via the Department of Agriculture and Young Brother Hawaii. Understanding that she could not have Ohia, furious Pele transformed him into into a gnarly, twisted tree. ‘Ōhi‘a ai was used in traditional Hawaiian medicines. Ohia posts … Modulus of elasticity also referred to as Tensile Modulus or Young's Modulus. Though Rapid Ohia Death is currently only found on Hawaii Island, the quickly-spreading disease poses an imminent threat to this significant tree statewide. In various stories, the plant is a kinolau, or physical manifestation, of several Hawaiian gods and goddesses including Ku, Hiiaka, Kane, Kapo as well as, some say, Laka, the goddess of hula. Although the trunk of ʻōhiʻa was not used to make the kaʻele (hull) of waʻa (outrigger canoes), it was used for their nohona waʻa (seats), pale (gunwales), and pola (decking). COVID-19 Updates: View the current state guidelines for travel to Hawai‘i. Wae (spreaders) were made from the curved The wood was used for building and the fruit for eating and making dyes. Celtis I don’t mean to nitpick, but I’m fairly certain the ‘ohia lehua is an endemic flowering Hawaiian tree (unlike monkeypod, which was introduced more recently) that provides ample nectar for insects and birds like the i’iwi. The wood is excellent for this purpose, producing a high yield oflow … Although hardwoods are not widely used at this time, structural grading procedures for hardwoods have been developed recently, and their use … In short, this multifaceted mainstay of native forests has as many culturally symbolic uses and meanings as it does forms.