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Metrosideros diffusa
Metrosideros diffusa, the white rata or climbing rata, is a forest vine from New Zealand that climbs to about 6 metres and is rarely grown outside its native range. Its main requirements are bright light and average moisture, as with most myrtles.
Metrosideros diffusa, the white rātā, climbing rātā or in Māori akakura, is a forest liane or vine endemic to New Zealand. It is one of a number of New Zealand Metrosideros species which live out their lives as vines, unlike the northern rātā (M.robusta), which generally begins as a hemi-epiphyte and grows into a huge tree. It is one of three white flowering rātā vines (the others being large white rātā and small white rātā). White rātā is the most common climbing rātā in the wild, found naturally in lowland forests throughout the North, South and Stewart islands.
Metrosideros diffusa is not widely grown in cultivation, but is available from specialist native plant nurseries within New Zealand. In addition there is one known cultivar, Metrosideros diffusa 'Crystal Showers' sold by Blue Mountain Nurseries in Tapanui. This is a slow growing groundcover with white flowers but cream and green variegated foliage.
Bartlett's Rata · Crimson Rata · Pōhutukawa · Scarlet Rātā Vine · Pohutukawa · ʻŌhiʻa Lehua · Southern Rātā · Lehua
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Metrosideros diffusa 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
