Botanical Name:
Metrosideros excelsa
Common Name:
Pohutukawa, NZ Christmas tree
Family:
Myrtaceae
Description:
A NZ native coastal, evergreen tree that produces a brillant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens that are 2.5cm long or more. Flowers in December - January.
Leaves are dark green above and white beneath, the arrangement is opposite and shape elliptic to oval to oblong.
Other features are the short, stout trunk with grey, stringy bark which peels in long narrow flakes. Branches are often twisted and gnarled. Tolerates coastal conditions.
H: around 15m.
Uses:
Flower display, timber, specimen, hedge, shelter.
Propagation:
From seed or cuttings.
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