ohelo

English

Etymology

Berries of the ohelo (Vaccinium reticulatum) in Haleakalā National Park, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻōhelo.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə(ʊ)ˈheɪləʊ/

Noun

ohelo (plural ohelos)

1. A small red or yellow berry growing on the shrub Vaccinium reticulatum of volcanic parts of the Hawaiian islands of Hawaii and Maui, or the shrub itself.
   • 1980, Janet Kear, A. J. Berger, “The Hawaiian Goose or Nene”, in The Hawaiian Goose: An Experiment in Conservation, Calton, Staffordshire: T. & A. D. Poyser, →ISBN; reprinted London: T. & A. D. Poyser, 2010, →ISBN, page 42:

     Ohelo Vaccinium reticulatum (and V. peleanum) and kukaenene Coprosma ernodeoides […] are the most important berries in the Nenes' diet, and it is probably from such juicy fruit that much of their water intake comes.

   • 2004, Richard [Alan] Fortey, The Earth: An Intimate History, London: HarperCollins, →ISBN; republished London: Folio Society, 2011, →OCLC, page 37:

     Growing on nearly bare lava flows, the flora includes small relatives of the familiar cranberry: the ohelo carries a bright red, succulent berry that was once a staple item in the diet of the nene, the Hawaiian goose.

Anagrams

• Hoole