Lehua mamo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lehua mamo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Metrosideros
Species:	M. macropus
Binomial name
Metrosideros macropus Hook. & Arn.
Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist.

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

Metrosideros macropus, also known as the lehua mamo or 'ohi'a, is a special kind of tree. It belongs to the eucalyptus family, called Myrtaceae. This tree is found only in one place: the island of Oʻahu in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

Discovering the Lehua Mamo Tree

The lehua mamo tree is a unique plant. It is closely related to another well-known Hawaiian tree, the ʻōhiʻa lehua (M. polymorpha). While the ʻōhiʻa lehua grows all over the Hawaiian Islands, the lehua mamo is much rarer.

Home in Hawaii

This special tree is endemic to Oʻahu. This means it naturally grows nowhere else in the world! You can find it specifically in the Koʻolau mountains on the island. Its home is a very particular part of the Hawaiian environment.

What Makes it Special?

You can tell the lehua mamo apart from its cousin, M. polymorpha, by a few key features. One important difference is its leaves. The lehua mamo has longer leaf stems, called petioles. These petioles are about one-third to one-half as long as the leaf blades themselves. In M. polymorpha, the petioles are much shorter, less than one-fourth the length of the leaf blades.

M. macropus flower. Also note the long leaf petioles.

Another way to identify the lehua mamo is by its flowers. Usually, the flowers of Metrosideros macropus are a bright yellow color. While some types of M. polymorpha can also have yellow flowers, they are typically red. Sometimes, though, the lehua mamo can surprise you with red flowers too! These unique features help scientists and plant lovers tell these beautiful Hawaiian trees apart.