ʻŪlei
Osteomele anthylidifolia
Amazing shrubs with dark, glossy, pinnate leaves and very fragrant white flower clusters. These are one of my most favorite smelling native flowers. The flowers develop into white fleshy, fruit that ripen purple and contain up to four seeds inside. Generally this is a low crawling plant usually under four feet tall but some specimens on Maui and Hawai’i are well over twenty feet!
He lāʻau pūnohunohu ka ʻūlei, a he lau uliuli liʻiliʻi. ʻAno hinuhinu nā lau, a onaona nā pua keʻokeʻo o ka ʻūlei. He hua keʻokeʻo ko ka ʻūlei, a ʻehā ʻanoʻano o loko. ʻO ka mea maʻamau, ʻehā kapuaʻi ke kiʻekiʻe o ka ʻūlei, akā, he ʻūlei kiʻekiʻe loa e ulu ana ma Maui me Hawaiʻi; iwakālua kapuaʻi a ʻoi!
This indigenous plant is commonly found in a wide range of habitats from near the ocean on cliffs all the way up through the lowland dry forest and mesic forests on all of the main islands except Ni’ihau and Kaho’olawe.
Laha ka ʻūlei mai kai a hiki i ka wao maʻukele o nā mokupuni a pau; koe ʻo Niʻihau me Kahoʻolawe.
The hard wood of the larger specimens were made into ‘o’o, fishing spears, and the musical instrument ‘ukeke. The branches were bent into fishnet hoops as well as fashioned into arrow shafts. The leaves, flowers and fruit were also woven into lei and sometimes the fruit was eaten. Its no blueberry or strawberry but it tastes pretty good when eaten on the trail and you’ve been hiking for six hours and have absolutely nothing else to eat.
He lāʻau paʻa i kālai ʻia i ʻōʻō, ʻō lawaiʻa, a i ʻūkēkē. Pelu ʻia nā lālā o ka ʻūlei i ʻupena uluulu, a i pana pua. Wili ʻia nā lau, nā pua, a me ka hua i lei; a hiki ke ʻai i ka hua e like me ka moʻolelo kaulana o Hainakolo. ʻAʻole nō naʻe like ka ʻono me ka pīʻai uliuli a he ʻākala paha, akā he ʻai nō ia e mahalo ʻia ma ka piʻi mauna ʻana.
This a great addition to any garden from a specimen plant, to a low hedge or a mass planting on a slope, it all looks good. It can even be shaped into a perfectly round ball about five feet in diameter. Few pests bother this one and its shiny leaves and beautiful flower clusters are awesome features. Once its established in the ground you don’t even have to worry about watering.
Nani ke kanu hoʻokahi ʻana, i ke kanu ʻana i pā ʻūlei, a i ke kanu ʻana nō hoʻi ma ka ihona. Hiki nō hoʻi ke paʻipaʻi i ka ʻūlei i pōʻai he ʻelima kapuaʻi ke anawaena. ʻAʻole nō nui nā mū e pilikia ai ka ʻūlei, a ʻaʻole pono ka wai he nui.
Other names for this plant include u’ulei or on Moloka’i its called eluehe. ‘Ulei is one of four native plants in the Rose family along with ‘ohelo papa our native strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), and two species of ‘akala (Rubus hawaiensis and R. macraei) our native raspberries. Now those buggahs are ono, better to use the ‘ulei fruit in lei instead.
Also its very important to pronounce ‘ulei correctly emphasizing the ‘i’ at the end (oolayee) otherwise in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi it will sound like a particular part of the male anatomy. Trust me, I can’t hold back the tears of laughter when people are describing their ‘ulei plant but are lazy in the correct pronunciation saying things like “my ‘ulei is so bushy”, or my ‘ulei looks so sick” or my favorite “people can smell my ‘ulei from twenty feet away!” Actually my most favorite mispronunciation of ‘ulei is when people come to purchase it from my nursery and upon seeing it remark “Wow Rick, you have the nicest ‘ulei I’ve ever seen!”
Eia kekahi mau inoa ʻē aʻe no ka ʻūlei; ʻuʻulei, a he eluehe (huaʻōlelo Molokaʻi). He ʻohana ka ʻūlei no ka loke, ka ʻōhelo papa (Fragaria chiloensis) me ka ʻākala (Rubus hawaiensis, R. macraei). ʻOi aku ka ʻono o ka ʻōhelo papa me ka ʻākala ma mua o ka hua ʻūlei. E hana i ka hua ʻūlei ma nā lei.