Metrosideros kermadecensis
An evergreen canopy tree in the myrtle family endemic to the Kermadec Islands, reaching up to 20 meters tall with a trunk up to 3 meters in diameter, bearing bright red flowers formed by a mass of stamens and serving as the dominant forest tree on Raoul Island.
Common Names
Kermadec Pōhutukawa, New Zealand Christmas Bush
Summary
Kermadec pohutukawa is an evergreen tree native to the Kermadec Islands, often multi-trunked and reaching up to 20 m tall with trunks up to about 1 m in diameter, forming the dominant canopy on Raoul Island. Leaves are dark green, 2–5 cm long and about 1–2 cm wide, broadly oval to elliptic-oblong; flowers are crimson with many stamens and bloom year-round, giving a massed display, while the bark is firm grey.
Propagation is easy from fresh seed, and cuttings from water shoots can be grown; in cultivation it is commonly sold in New Zealand garden centres and is cultivated or naturalized in Hawaiʻi, with variegated forms widely planted in home gardens; its uses include providing a thick screen or hedge and suitable for pots and planters, though myrtle rust poses a threat in some areas.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
9 ft 10 in-65 ft 7 in
Spread
16-33 ft
Hardiness Zones
Zones 10-11
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun; tolerates partial shade
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained, loamy soil rich in organic matter
Soil Drainage
Moist, well-drained soil.
Bloom Color
Red
Bloom Time
All year round
Foliage Color
Dark green (upper surface; paler below)
Fall Foliage Color
No fall color
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Moderate
Seasons of Interest
All four seasons
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division, Layering
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts other pollinators and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- W.R.B.Oliv.
- Publication
- Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 59: 422 (1928)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Myrtales
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Genus
- Metrosideros