'ohi'a lehua
Metrosideros polymorpha · Myrtaceae
'ohi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is a perennial tree in the Myrtaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 9 and warmer, down to about 22°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 65 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.3–5.7 USDA |
| Bloom | May–June USDA |
| Flower color | Red USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 9 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 4.3 to 5.7 — acidic ground. Its cold limit is zone 9.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 65 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of May through June. Flowers are red.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 20 to 450 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 320 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated high, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- river sheoak Casuarina cunninghamiana
- beach sheoak Casuarina equisetifolia
- Sydney bluegum Eucalyptus saligna
- Monterey pine Pinus radiata
- mamani Sophora chrysophylla
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MEPO5, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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