Flower profile

ʻōhelo kau lāʻau

Vaccinium calycinum

Native to Hawaii

ʻōhelo kau lāʻau is a flowering plant.

1states

856HI sightings*

856U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Hawaii

Quick look

Vaccinium calycinum, also known as ʻōhelo kau lāʻau, Tree ʻōhelo, and ʻōhelo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is endemic to Hawaii.
From Wikipedia's article Vaccinium calycinum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Ericaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Hawaii. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 856 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #50 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

ʻōhelo kau lāʻau gift ideas

Handmade ʻōhelo kau lāʻau gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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ʻōhelo kau lāʻau art print
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ʻōhelo kau lāʻau mug
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ʻōhelo kau lāʻau earrings
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ʻōhelo kau lāʻau embroidery pattern
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ʻōhelo kau lāʻau sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (11 records)

There are only a handful of Hawaii flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G3 Vulnerable worldwide. ^NatureServe
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Hawaii. ^NatureServe

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records ʻōhelo kau lāʻau in 1 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Hawaii.

Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui.

More Hawaii flowers

Pūkiawe

Leptecophylla tameiameiae

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

'ohelo 'ai

Vaccinium reticulatum

Native

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

ʻōhiʻa lehua

Metrosideros polymorpha

Native

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VACA8.
iNaturalist, Vaccinium calycinum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Vaccinium calycinum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Vaccinium calycinum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: John Powers via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.