Pōhutukawa
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| Pōhutukawa | ||||||||||||||
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 Pōhutukawa flowers
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| Metrosideros excelsa Gaertn. |
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Metrosideros tomentosa |
The Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand.
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[edit] Description
The tree grows up to twenty metres in height, with a dome-like spreading form. Its natural range is the coastal regions of the North Island of New Zealand, north of a line stretching from New Plymouth to Gisborne. It also grows on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area. A giant Pōhutukawa at Te Araroa on the East Coast is reputed to be the largest in the country, with a height of 20 metres and a spread of 38 metres.[1] The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Some specimens have matted, fibrous aerial roots. Like its Hawaiian relative the ʻŌhiʻa lehua (M. polymorpha), the Pōhutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava fields, notably on Rangitoto Island, a volcano in Auckland Harbour.
[edit] Flowers
The Pōhutukawa flowers from November to January with a peak in mid to late December (the southern hemisphere summer), with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New Zealand Christmas Tree. There is variation between individual trees in the timing of flowering, and in the shade and brightness of the flowers. In isolated populations genetic drift has resulted in local variation: many of the trees growing around the Rotorua lakes produce pink-shaded flowers, and the yellow-flowered cultivar "Aurea" descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on Mōtiti Island in the Bay of Plenty.
[edit] Conservation
In New Zealand, the Pōhutukawa is under threat from browsing by the introduced common brushtail possum which strips the tree of its leaves. A charitable conservation trust, Project Crimson, has the aim of reversing the decline of Pōhutukawa and other Metrosideros species - its mission statement is "to enable pohutukawa and rata to flourish again in their natural habitat as icons in the hearts and minds of all New Zealanders".
[edit] Cultivation
The Pōhutukawa is popular in cultivation, and there are fine examples in most North Island coastal cities. Vigorous and easy to grow, the tree flourishes well south of its natural range, and has naturalised in the Wellington area and in the north of the South Island. The Pōhutukawa has been introduced to other countries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia and it has naturalised on Norfolk Island. In coastal California, it is a popular street and lawn tree. In parts of South Africa, the Pōhutukawa grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Native Plant Information. Trees for Survival. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
[edit] References
- Metrosideros excelsa. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- Pohutukawa Fact Sheet. Project Crimson. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- Simpson, P., 2005. Pōhutukawa & Rātā: New Zealand's Iron-Hearted Trees. Wellington: Te Papa Press.
