Metrosideros excelsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Metrosideros excelsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Metrosideros excelsa (phutukawa, New Zealand pohutukawa,[2]

New Zealand Christmas tree[3]) is a coastal evergreen tree in the
myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red
flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The phutukawa is one of
twelve Metrosideros species endemic 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
(rkau rangatira) by Mori.[4] The blossom of the tree is called
kahika.[3]

Phutukawa

Phutukawa trees

Scientific classification

Contents

Kingdom:

Plantae

(unranked):

Angiosperms

2 Description

(unranked):

Eudicots

3 Uses

(unranked):

Rosids

4 Distribution

Order:

Myrtales

5 Conservation

Family:

Myrtaceae

6 Cultivation

Genus:

Metrosideros

Species:

M. excelsa

1 Etymology

7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links

Binomial name
Metrosideros excelsa
Sol. ex Gaertn.

Synonyms[1]

Etymology
Metrosideros tomentosa
The generic name Metrosideros derives from the Ancient Greek
A.Rich.
metra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". The species name
Nania tomentosa (A.Rich.)
excelsa is from Latin excelsus, "highest, sublime". Phutukawa is a
Kuntze
Mori word. Its closest equivalent in other Polynesian languages is
the Cook Island Mori word po'utukava, referring to a coastal shrub
with white berries, Sophora tomentosa.[5] The -hutu- part of the word
comes from *futu, the Polynesian name for the fish-poison tree (Barringtonia asiatica),[6] which has flowers
similar to those of the phutukawa.

Description
The phutukawa grows up to 25 metres (82 ft) high, with a spreading, dome-like form. It usually grows as a
multi-trunked spreading tree. Its trunks and branches are sometimes festooned with matted, fibrous aerial
roots. The oblong, leathery leaves are covered in dense white hairs underneath.[7]

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The tree 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 Mtiti Island in the Bay
of Plenty.

Uses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosideros_excelsa

The yellow-flowering "Aurea"

cultivar

Phutukawa wood is dense, strong and highly figured. Maori used it for beaters and other small, heavy
items. It was frequently used in shipbuilding, since the naturally curvy shapes made strong knees.[8]

Distribution
The natural range of the phutukawa is the coastal regions of the North Island of New Zealand, north of a
line stretching from New Plymouth (39 S) to Gisborne (38 S),[9] where it once formed a continuous
coastal fringe. By the 1990s, pastoral farming and introduced pests had reduced phutukawa forests by over
90%.[4] It also occurs naturally on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area.
A giant phutukawa 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 (125 ft).[10] The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain
a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Like its Hawaiian relative the hia lehua (M. polymorpha),
the phutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava plains notably on Rangitoto, a
volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf.[7]

Conservation
In New Zealand, the phutukawa is under threat from browsing by the
introduced common brushtail possum which strips the tree of its leaves.[4] A
charitable conservation trust, Project Crimson, has the aim of reversing the
decline of phutukawa 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".

Cultivation
The phutukawa 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
Phutukawa in bloom
Wellington area and in the north of the South Island. It has also naturalised
on Norfolk Island to the north. The phutukawa has been introduced to other
countries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia, where it is naturalising on coastal
cliffs near Sydney. In coastal California, it is a popular street and lawn tree, but has caused concern in San
Francisco where its root systems are blamed for destroying sewer lines and sidewalks.[11] In parts of South
Africa, the phutukawa grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species. The Spanish city of La
Corua has adopted the phutukawa as a floral emblem.[12]
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See also
Metrosideros robusta, northern rt
Metrosideros umbellata, southern rt
Metrosideros bartlettii, Bartlett's rt
Invasive species of New Zealand origin

References
1. ^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families" (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=126408).
2. ^ Schmidt-Adam, G.; Young, A.G.; Murray, B.G. (2000). "Low outcrossing rates and shift in pollinators in New
Zealand pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa; Myrtaceae)" (http://www.amjbot.org/content/87/9/1265.abstract).
American Journal of Botany 87 (9): 12651271. doi:10.2307/2656719 (https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F2656719).
3. ^ a b "Mori Plant Use Database" (http://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms
/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?firstcome=firstcome&PKey=9F92ED8B-2C9F-4BB2-85FE-60203014CD23).
4. ^ a b c "The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Part 2". Inset to The New Zealand Herald. 2 March 2010. p. 5.
5. ^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online, entry *poo-futu-kawa (http://pollex.org.nz/entry/poo-futu-kawa/)
6. ^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online, entry *futu (http://pollex.org.nz/entry/futu/)
7. ^ a b "Tall broadleaf trees Phutukawa" (http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/tall-broadleaf-trees/3). Te Ara
Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
8. ^ "POHUTUKAWA" (http://www.naw.org.nz/resources/trees/pohutukawa.pdf). National Association of
Woodworkers New Zealand Inc.
9. ^ Simpson, Philip G. (1994). Pohutukawa and Diversity (http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/scienceand-technical/casn100.pdf). Conservation Advisory Science Notes No. 100 (Department of Conservation). p. 3.
ISSN 1171-9834 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1171-9834).
10. ^ "Native Plant Information" (http://web.archive.org/web/20080221193256/http://www.treesforsurvival.org.nz
/resources.cfm). Trees for Survival. Archived from the original (http://www.treesforsurvival.org.nz
/resources.cfm) on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
11. ^ Scott James (27 August 2010). "A Green Idea That Sounded Good Until the Trees Went to Work"
(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27bcjames.html?_r=0). The Bay Citizen.
12. ^ "New Zealand Plants Overseas" (http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-species-overseas/2). Te Ara
Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2011-01-07.

Further reading
Simpson, P. (2005). Phutukawa & Rt: New Zealand's Iron-Hearted Trees. Wellington: Te Papa
Press. ISBN 978-0-909010-99-7.

External links
"Metrosideros excelsa" (http://www.nzpcn.org.nz
/flora_details.asp?ID=975). New Zealand Plant Conservation
Network. Retrieved 2010-10-02.

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to
Metrosideros excelsa.

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Metrosideros excelsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosideros_excelsa

"Pohutukawa Fact Sheet" (http://www.projectcrimson.org.nz/images/file/Fact%20Sheets/Fact-SheetPohutukawa.pdf). Project Crimson. Retrieved 2010-10-02.

Rare Metrosideros E. Alley (http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo707873.htm), at Sao Miguel
Island, Azores, where it grows faster and larger than in its native habitat

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Categories: Metrosideros Trees of New Zealand Trees of mild maritime climate Invasive plant species
Plants described in 1788

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