''Metrosideros kermadecensis'', with

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s ''Kermadec pōhutukawa'' and New Zealand Christmas bush is an evergreen

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

of the myrtle family which is endemic to the volcanic

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( ; ) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total area and uninhabit ...

about north-east of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The tree produces a brilliant display of red flowers, made up of a mass of

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and is the dominant forest tree on

Raoul Island Raoul Island (''Sunday Island''; ) is the largest and northernmost of the main Kermadec Islands, south south-west of 'Ata Island of Tonga and north north-east of New Zealand's North Island. It has been the source of vigorous volcanic activit ...

, growing to 15 m or more. The trunk is up to 1 m or more in diameter. It is very similar to, and often confused with, the

pōhutukawa Pōhutukawa (''Metrosideros excelsa''), also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, or iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the Myrtus, myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow o ...

of mainland New Zealand, differing mainly by having smaller, more oval leaves, and by flowering throughout the year. It also resembles the ōhia lehua of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Conservation

Because it is endemic to a small group of islands, ''Metrosideros kermadecensis'' is listed as range restricted, but is not regarded as threatened.

Cultivation

''Metrosideros kermadecensis'' is widely cultivated in

and has naturalised in

. A variegated form is widely planted in home gardens. Propagation is easy from fresh seed. Cuttings may be grown from water shoots. It hybridises with pōhutukawa ('' M. excelsa'').

References

* * * Simpson, P., 2005. ''Pōhutukawa & Rātā: New Zealand's Iron-Hearted Trees''. Wellington: Te Papa Press.

External links

kermadecensis Flora of the Kermadec Islands Endemic flora of New Zealand Trees of New Zealand {{rosid-tree-stub