‘Ōhelo

The ‘ōhelo is an endemic Hawaiian blueberry. There are three varieties Vaccinium reticulatum, V. calycinum, and V. dentatum. Hawaiians recognized the different species and had specific names for two of them. ‘Ōhelo ‘ai (edible ‘ōhelo) refers to the Vaccinium reticulatum. ‘Ōhelo ‘ai is the most common,and can be found on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawai‘i. ‘Ōhelo kau lā’au (‘ōhelo in the trees) describes the V. calycinum which can be epiphytic, found growing on other plants.

‘Ōhelo is most commonly found at higher elevations near the mountain wet forests and bogs of Maui and Hawai‘i. It tends to be one of the first plants to colonize new lava, cinder, and exposed alpine areas. ‘Ōhelo is associated with the goddess of lava Pele because it grows neat recent lava flows. They are less common in the mature forest and grassland.

The ‘ōhelo is an important part of the ecosystem. Birds like the nēnē, Hawaiian goose, eat the ‘ōhelo berries and spread the seeds. Two endemic moths also depend on the ‘ōhelo to host their larva until they become adult moths.

‘Ōhelo berries have always been a tasty treat for people when traveling through the mountains. It was not cultivated, because it grows at higher elevations. Some people on the island of Hawai‘i still have the practice of offering some ‘ōhelo berries to the volcano god Pele before consuming them.