Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

Variety of lehua tree (Metrosideros collina) popular in Hawaiʻi. A mixture of slimy sap of a hau branch, several lehua blossoms, and water, were strained through coconut fibers, placed in a coconut shell, and then given to a woman in childbirth to ease labor pains. (BHK; NEAL 637.)

Lehua (Metrosideros collina), a favorite native tree growing between the 1,000 and 9,000 foot levels. The flowers are full of honey, food of the ʻiʻiwi, a bird matching in scarlet plumage the color of the blossoms. On the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa the tree grows to 100 feet. Leis, quilt designs, stories, and legends are all based on the lehua. (NEAL 637.)