Metrosideros Excelsa - Wikipedia

Phutukawa

Phutukawa trees

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Eudicots

(unranked): Rosids

Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae

Genus: Metrosideros

Species: M. excelsa

Binomial name

Metrosideros excelsa

Sol. ex Gaertn.

Synonyms[1]

Metrosideros tomentosa

A.Rich.

Nania tomentosa (A.Rich.)

Kuntze

Metrosideros excelsaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

New Zealand Christmas tree[3]) is a coastal evergreen tree in themyrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of redflowers made up of a mass of stamens. The phutukawa is one oftwelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. Renowned forits vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky,precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealandculture 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]

Contents

1 Etymology

2 Description

3 Uses

4 Distribution

5 Conservation

6 Cultivation

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

10 External links

Etymology

The generic name Metrosideros derives from the Ancient Greekmetra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". The species nameexcelsa is from Latin excelsus, "highest, sublime". Phutukawa is aMori word. Its closest equivalent in other Polynesian languages isthe 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 flowerssimilar 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 amulti-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]

Metrosideros excelsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosideros_excelsa

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The yellow-flowering "Aurea"

cultivar

Phutukawa in bloom

The tree flowers from November to January with a peak in mid tolate December (the Southern Hemisphere summer), with brilliantcrimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New ZealandChristmas tree. There is variation between individual trees in thetiming 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 producepink-shaded flowers, and the yellow-flowered cultivar 'Aurea'descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on Mtiti Island in the Bayof Plenty.

Uses

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 continuouscoastal 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 maintaina 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] Acharitable conservation trust, Project Crimson, has the aim of reversing thedecline of phutukawa and other Metrosideros species its missionstatement is "to enable pohutukawa and rata to flourish again in their naturalhabitat as icons in the hearts and minds of all New Zealanders".

Cultivation

The phutukawa is popular in cultivation, and there are fine examples inmost North Island coastal cities. Vigorous and easy to grow, the treeflourishes well south of its natural range, and has naturalised in theWellington area and in the north of the South Island. It has also naturalisedon Norfolk Island to the north. The phutukawa has been introduced to othercountries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia, where it is naturalising on coastalcliffs 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 SouthAfrica, 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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Wikimedia Commons hasmedia related to

Metrosideros excelsa.

See also

Metrosideros robusta, northern rt

Metrosideros umbellata, southern rt

Metrosideros bartlettii, Bartlett's rt

Invasive species of New Zealand origin

References

^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families" (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=126408).1.

^ 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).

2.

^ a b "Mori Plant Use Database" (http://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms

/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?firstcome=firstcome&PKey=9F92ED8B-2C9F-4BB2-85FE-60203014CD23).

3.

^ a b c "The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Part 2". Inset to The New Zealand Herald. 2 March 2010. p. 5.4.

^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online, entry *poo-futu-kawa (http://pollex.org.nz/entry/poo-futu-kawa/)5.

^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online, entry *futu (http://pollex.org.nz/entry/futu/)6.

^ 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.

7.

^ "POHUTUKAWA" (http://www.naw.org.nz/resources/trees/pohutukawa.pdf). National Association of

Woodworkers New Zealand Inc.

8.

^ Simpson, Philip G. (1994). Pohutukawa and Diversity (http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/science-

and-technical/casn100.pdf). Conservation Advisory Science Notes No. 100 (Department of Conservation). p. 3.

ISSN 1171-9834 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1171-9834).

9.

^ "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.

10.

^ 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.

11.

^ "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.

12.

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.


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"Pohutukawa Fact Sheet" (http://www.projectcrimson.org.nz/images/file/Fact%20Sheets/Fact-Sheet-

Pohutukawa.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

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Metrosideros_excelsa&oldid=636352942"

Categories: Metrosideros Trees of New Zealand Trees of mild maritime climate Invasive plant species

Plants described in 1788

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Metrosideros Excelsa - Wikipedia