|
NA LEI |
||
|
|
Ola'a Beauty This flower became established in the area of Ola'a beauty or nani-o-Ola'a. During spring roadsides and in the fields, thus the name Ola'a beauty or nani-o-Ola'a. During spring and summer excursions on horseback to what was then the country, natives gathered the wild flowers and plaited the supple stems into a braid of ferns. The violet-colored leis adorned their papale for their return trip to Hilo after the day's end. Today, the Ola'a beauty is still found growing wild along the roadsides and in the fields of Ola'a. The flower now used in the lei nani-o-Ola'a are grown from seeds easily purchased in stores and are larger and more showy then the original flower. The lei nani-o-Ola'a is mostly strung in the lei poepoe style. Reference: Ka Lei, The Leis of Hawaii by Marie A. McDonald |