Metrosideros excelsa

Metrosideros excelsa, commonly known as pōhutukawa, New Zealand Christmas tree, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow or white) flowers, each consisting of a mass of stamens. The pōhutukawa 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 (rākau rangatira) by Māori.

Pōhutukawa
Pōhutukawa trees
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Metrosideros
Species:
M. excelsa
Binomial name
Metrosideros excelsa
Synonyms
  • Metrosideros tomentosa A.Rich.
  • Nania tomentosa (A.Rich.) Kuntze
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.