Product Code Database
Pōhutukawa ( Metrosideros excelsa), also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, or iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the Myrtus family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow or white) flowers, each consisting of a mass of . The pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species Endemism to New Zealand. Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength and beauty, and is regarded as a chiefly tree ( rākau rangatira) by Māori.
The tree flowers from November to January with a peak in early summer (mid to late December), with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New Zealand Christmas tree. The first published reference to pōhutakawa as a Christmas tree was in 1857, in a newspaper report of a feast held by Eruera Patuone. 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 Mōtītī Island in the Bay of Plenty.
The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Like its relative the ōhia lehua ( M. polymorpha), the pōhutukawa has been shown to be efficient in the colonisation of – notably on Rangitoto Island, a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf.
The tree is used to create pōhutukawa honey, which is produced in areas such as Rangitoto Island.
At least 39 of pōhutukawa have been released. Duncan & Davies nurseries were a leading force in the mid-20th century, while the late Graeme Platt has been responsible for 16 different cultivars so far, including a rare white-flowering tree. Cultivars include:
| M. excelsa 'Aurea' | 1947 | Greenish-yellow | Duncan & Davies | Sourced from Mōtītī Island. |
| M. excelsa 'Blockhouse Bay' | mid-1980s | Bright red | Graeme Platt | Sourced from Blockhouse Bay. |
| M. excelsa 'Butterscotch' | 1993 | Fire Red | Duncan & Davies | Reddish stems and reddish-gold new leaves becoming butter-yellow and finally green with age. Sourced from M. excelsa 'Sunglow'. |
| M. excelsa 'Centennial' | - | - | Graeme Platt | Reverse-variegated cultivar, erect growth habit. Sourced from Auckland Domain centennial plantings. |
| M. excelsa 'Christmas Cheer' | - | Crimson | Bob Bayly | Consistently flowering around Christmas time. Flowers in large clusters. |
| M. excelsa 'Dalese' | 2010 | Orange-red | Lyndale Nurseries | Compact, low-growing selection. Often incorrectly sold as M. tomentosa 'Dalese', especially in Australia. |
| M. excelsa 'Fire Mountain' | mid-1970s | Orange-scarlet | Felix Jury / Duncan & Davies | Very bright flowers and spreading habit. Sourced from Waitara riverbank plantings. |
| M. excelsa 'Firestone' | 1983 | Fire-red | Graeme Platt | Bright flowers and sprawling form. Sourced from Moehau Range, Coromandel Peninsula. |
| M. excelsa 'Flame Crest' | 1991 | Orange-scarlet | Cyril Watson & George Smith / Duncan & Davies | Tall, erect form. Sourced from Kawaroa Park, New Plymouth. |
| M. excelsa 'Gold Finger' | 1986 | Deep crimson | Duncan & Davies | Reverse-variegated form with bright gold leaves. |
| M. excelsa 'Golden Dawn' | 2003 | Melon Pink | Robert Harrison | Reverse-variegated cultivar from Australia. Grows to around . Grew from M. excelsa 'Pink Lady' under cultivation. 10–20% chance of variegation reverting. |
| M. excelsa 'Gold Nugget' | 2000 | - | Jim Rumbal / Duncan & Davies | Variegated cultivar with fresh green margins and yellow centres. |
| M. excelsa ''Hauraki' | - | Red | Graeme Platt | Outstanding sized flowers and tall, erect form. Sourced from Long Bay Regional Park, Auckland. |
| M. excelsa 'Kopere' | 2007 | Orange-red | Graeme Platt | Vibrant flowers and glossy green leaves. Sourced from Brooks Bay, near Awhitu Regional Park, Auckland. |
| M. excelsa 'Lighthouse' | 1983 | Crimson | Graeme Platt | Early flowering (November). Sourced from Rangitoto Island. |
| M. excelsa 'Manukau' | 1990 | Orange-red | Graeme Platt | Well-balanced flower heads that also bloom inside the canopy of the tree. Sourced from Manukau City shopping centre. |
| M. excelsa 'Maori Princess' | 1970s | Red | Ian McDowell / Duncan & Davies | Open branched, upright tree. Sourced from Brougham Street, New Plymouth. |
| M. excelsa 'Midas' | 1988 | Red | William (Bill) Robertson | Reverse-variegated cultivar from Australia, but slightly unstable (can revert to non-variegated status) |
| M. excelsa 'Mini Christmas' | - | Red | Low growing cultivar from Australia, grows to around 1m tall. | |
| M. excelsa 'Moon Maiden' | 1988 | Sulphur yellow | Duncan & Davies | Light grey-green foliage. Sourced from M. excelsa 'Aurea'. |
| M. excelsa 'Mt Maunganui' | 1993 | Red | Lyndale Nurseries | Sourced from Pitau Road, Mount Maunganui. Source tree of significance to Ngāi Te Rangi iwi, where several Māori skeletons were found at its base. |
| M. excelsa 'Octopussy' | 2004 | Red | Naturally Native NZ Plants Auckland | Weeping growth habit. Sometimes available as a standard. |
| M. excelsa 'Ohope' | - | Red | Duncan & Davies | Variegated form. Green leaves with cream margins. |
| M. excelsa 'Parnell' | early 1970s | Red | Graeme Platt | Very large and widely spreading tree. Sourced from Parnell Rose Gardens, Auckland. |
| M. excelsa 'Pink Lady' | 1988 | Melon Pink | Duncan & Davies | Small upright tree with compact flower heads. |
| M. excelsa 'Plus Four' | 2002 | Bright Red | Graeme Platt | Upright growth habit. Sourced from Awhitu Golf Course, Auckland. |
| M. excelsa 'Pouawa' | - | - | Graeme Platt / Rob Bayly | Long-lasting flowers. Sourced from north of Gisborne. |
| M. excelsa 'Rangitoto' | mid-1980s | Dark Red | Tom Johnson / Dawn Nurseries | Upright, smallish tree. Sourced from Te Atatū, Auckland from a plant originally sourced on Rangitoto Island. |
| M. excelsa 'Royal Flame' | 1988 | Deep-crimson | Jim Rumbal / Duncan & Davies | Upright tree, flowers have contrasting yellow anthers. Sourced from Waitara West Marine Park. |
| M. excelsa 'Scarlet Pimpernel' | 1976 | Scarlet | Felix Jury / Duncan & Davies | Small, compact growth. Suitable for containers & patios. Sourced from Princess Street, Waitara. |
| M. excelsa 'Sunglow' | 1980 | - | Duncan & Davies | Variegated with gold leaf margins. flowers and form. Thought to be sourced from Oswald Blumhardt, plant breeder in Whangarei. |
| M. excelsa 'Tamaki' | 1985 | Orange-red | Graeme Platt | Bright flowers. Sourced from Tamaki Drive, Auckland. |
| M. excelsa 'Te Kaha' | mid-1980s | Red with orange hints. | Graeme Platt | Medium-sized bushy tree. Sourced from Te Kaha, Bay of Plenty. |
| M. excelsa 'Titirangi' | late-1980s | Scarlet | Graeme Platt | Erect tree with copious flowers. Sourced from Margan Ave, Auckland near the Titirangi Golf Course. |
| M. excelsa 'Upper Hutt' | - | - | - | Reverse-variegated foliage. Sourced from public gardens in Upper Hutt. |
| M. excelsa 'Variegata' | - | Red | - | Variegated leaves. Not to be confused with M. kermadecensis. 'Variegata'. |
| M. excelsa 'Vibrance' | 1985 | Orange-red | Graeme Platt | Flowers have exceptionally long stamens. Sourced from Waiomu Bay, Coromandel Peninsula. |
| M. excelsa 'Whakarewarewa' | late-1980s | Very dark red | Graeme Platt | Sourced from Whakarewarewa, Rotorua. |
| M. excelsa 'White Caps' | 2009 | White | Graeme Platt | Sourced from Piha, Auckland. |
A pōhutukawa tree with an estimated age of 180 years known as 'Te Hā' is fully established at an Auckland City park. 'Te Hā' is the largest urban specimen in the country. Plans to build a monument in honour of victims of the Erebus Disaster in proximity to the tree activated significant local opposition in 2021.
|
|
