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Metrosideros
Also called Rātā And Allies
Metrosideros is a genus of about 60 trees, shrubs and vines in the myrtle family, mostly native to the Pacific, best known for showy red flowers. Commonly grown members include pōhutukawa, northern and southern rātā, and ʻōhiʻa lehua; care depends on the species, so check the specific plant.
Metrosideros (; MET-roe-SID-uh-ruhs) is a genus of approximately 60 trees, shrubs, and vines in the family Myrtaceae, mostly found in the Pacific region. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The name derives from the Ancient Greek metra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". Perhaps the best-known species are the pōhutukawa (M. excelsa), northern rātā (M. robusta) and southern rātā (M. umbellata) of New Zealand, and ʻōhiʻa lehua (M. polymorpha) from the Hawaiian Islands.
Metrosideros are often cultivated for their showy flowers, as street trees or in home gardens. The flowers are generally red, but some cultivars have orange, yellow or white flowers. Some names listed in horticultural catalogues and other publications, such as M. villosa and M. vitiensis, are actually the names of varieties or cultivars (usually of M. collina) rather than valid scientific species. The pōhutukawa of New Zealand has several cultivars grown in Australia, Hawaii and California. It has been planted successfully in the north of Spain and on the Scilly Isles off the south-west coast of Britain, but the species is considered an invasive pest in parts of South Africa and in the Azores. Metrosideros kermadecensis is recently naturalised in Hawaii, and has the potential to become a pest. In turn, various cultivars of M. collina and M. polymorpha are widely grown in New Zealand under various names.
Metrosideros is one of the most widely spread flowering plant genera in the Pacific. New Caledonia has 21 species, New Zealand has 12, New Guinea has seven and Hawaii has 5. The genus is present on most other high Pacific Islands, including Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Bonin Islands and Lord Howe Island, but absent from Micronesia. The genus is also represented by one species in the Philippines, one in South America (Chile and Argentina), and one outlier in South Africa.
Bartlett's Rata · Crimson Rata · Small Ratavine · Pōhutukawa · Scarlet Rātā Vine · Pohutukawa · ʻŌhiʻa Lehua · Southern Rātā
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Metrosideros by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
