One of the more divergent taxa of Ohia (Metrosideros spp.) on O’ahu is M. macropus. Here is one of the red flowered form found on Lanihuli. Aside from the bigger leaf and longer petiole, M. macropus is also distinctive in having these strange, persistent bracts and leaf buds that are somewhat sticky. Thanks to Dr. Stacy for pointing this fact out!
Studia Mirabilium 
I had to walk outside to check my crop after reading this but I still don’t notice any stickiness on the bracts or the buds. Not that I’m any sort of expert but, in my experience, Lanihuli and the associated area seems to have a predominance of the red blooms while in other areas yellow is predominant. I wondered if M. macropus in the vicinity of Lanihuli had hybridized with M. tremuloides which is historically prevalent in the area. On the whole M. macropus seems fairly uncommon and it’s always a treat to see it trail side. I’ve also noted that it’s seeds seem larger than other ohia although I’ve never actually measured to verify that. A great endemic plant!
Dave,
Yeah, you can see the sap or whatever causes the stickiness in the second shot. It’s something that I forgot about actually. It would be neat to check macropus whenever we come across it just to see how prevalent it is among the various populations.