Metrosideros

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Metrosideros

Metrosideros is a genus of approximately 50 tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s, shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s, and vine

Vine

A vine is any plant of genus Grape or, by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vinea, referred to the grape-bearing variety....
s native to the islands of the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, from the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
to New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
and including the Bonin Islands, Polynesia

Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean....
, and Melanesia

Melanesia

Melanesia literally means "islands of the black-skinned people". It is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and northeast of Australia....
, with an anomalous outlier in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The name derives from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
metra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". Perhaps the best-known species are the pohutukawa

Pohutukawa

The Pohutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pohutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand....
, (M.

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Encyclopedia

Metrosideros is a genus of approximately 50 tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s, shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s, and vine
Vine

A vine is any plant of genus Grape or, by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vinea, referred to the grape-bearing variety....
s native to the islands of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, from the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
and including the Bonin Islands, Polynesia
Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean....
, and Melanesia
Melanesia

Melanesia literally means "islands of the black-skinned people". It is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and northeast of Australia....
, with an anomalous outlier in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The name derives from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
metra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". Perhaps the best-known species are the pohutukawa
Pohutukawa

The Pohutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pohutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand....
, (M. excelsa), northern rata
Metrosideros robusta

Northern rata , is a huge forest tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 25 m. or more tall, and usually begins its life as a hemi-epiphyte high in the branches of a mature forest tree; over centuries the young tree sends descending and girdling roots down and around the trunk of its host, eventually forming a massive, frequently hollow p...
(M. robusta), and southern rata
Metrosideros umbellata

Southern rata , is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 15 m. or more tall with a trunk up to 1 m. or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer....
(M. umbellata) of New Zealand, and ohia lehua
Metrosideros polymorpha

The ohia lehua is a species of Flowering plant evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is Endemism to the six largest Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii....
, (M. polymorpha), from the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll....
.

Distribution
New Caledonia
New Caledonia

New Caledonia , is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the Oceania. It comprises a main island , the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands....
has 21 species of Metrosideros, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
has twelve, Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
has five, and Papua
New Guinea

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period....
has four. The remainder are scattered across small islands of the Pacific, with one outlier described from South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. Metrosideros seeds can disperse on the wind, which accounts for their wide distribution from a presumed origin in a greater New Zealand continent, which at the time of the breakup
Gondwana

Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland is the name given to a southern precursor-supercontinent and then as a remnant separated from Laurasia 180- during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Annum ago into two large segments. of Gondwana
Gondwana

Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland is the name given to a southern precursor-supercontinent and then as a remnant separated from Laurasia 180- during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Annum ago into two large segments. in the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
, included New Caledonia. How the genus reached Hawaii appears puzzling because the prevailing trade wind
Trade wind

The trade winds are the Prevailing winds of easterlies surface winds found in the tropics near the Earth's equator. The trade winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere....
s blow from the east. However high altitude wind patterns may have brought seeds north from the Marquesas Islands
Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcano islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9? 00S, 139? 30W....
, which molecular evidence suggests as the origin of the Hawaiian species from a single colonising event (the Hawaiian M. polymorpha
Metrosideros polymorpha

The ohia lehua is a species of Flowering plant evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is Endemism to the six largest Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii....
is similar to the widespread M. collina found in the Marquesas Islands
Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcano islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9? 00S, 139? 30W....
, and was long classified as a subspecies of it). Considering that the group likely spread north and east from New Zealand, counter to prevailing ground-level winds, this is not surprising.

Cultivation
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 catalogs 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 pohutukawa
Pohutukawa

The Pohutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pohutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand....
of New Zealand has several cultivars grown in Australia and Hawaii and is very popular in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and it has even been planted successfully in the north of Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, but the species is considered an invasive pest in parts of South Africa. Metrosideros kermadecensis
Metrosideros kermadecensis

Metrosideros kermadecensis, commonly called the is an evergreen tree of the myrtle family which is endemic to the volcanic Kermadec Islands about 900 km north-east of New Zealand....
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 umbellata
Metrosideros umbellata

Southern rata , is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 15 m. or more tall with a trunk up to 1 m. or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer....
occurs naturally south of mainland New Zealand in the Auckland Islands
Auckland Islands

The Auckland Islands form an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include the following: Auckland Island, Adams Island, New Zealand, Enderby Island, New Zealand, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, New Zealand, Dundas Island and Green Island, with a combined area of 625 km2....
at 50º South latitude, and is the hardiest member of the genus, and a few cultivated specimens are growing in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

Metrosideros species
There are approximately 50 species of Metrosideros, in three subgenera: Mearnsia, 24 or 25 species, trees, shrubs (some epiphytic) and vines, with red, pink or white flowers; Metrosideros, 26 species, trees and shrubs, flowers mostly red, but some species have yellow or white flowers; and Carpolepsis, 3 species of hemi-epiphytic rainforest trees from New Caledonia, all with bright yellow flowers.

subgenus Metrosideros
M. bartlettii Bartlett's rata
Metrosideros bartlettii

Bartlett's rata , or the Cape Reinga white rata, is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand and is notable for its extreme rarity and its white flowers, somewhat uncommon in that genus of red-flowered trees and plants....
(New Zealand)
M. boninensis (Bonin Islands)
M. cherrieri (New Caledonia)
M. collina (from Vanuatu
Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
in the southwest to French Polynesia
French Polynesia

French Polynesia is a France overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory ....
in the east)
M. engleriana (New Caledonia)
M. excelsa - pohutukawa
Pohutukawa

The Pohutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pohutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand....
(New Zealand)
M. gregoryi (Samoa
Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa , is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean....
)
M. humboldtiana (New Caledonia)
M. kermadecensis (Kermadec pohutukawa
Metrosideros kermadecensis

Metrosideros kermadecensis, commonly called the is an evergreen tree of the myrtle family which is endemic to the volcanic Kermadec Islands about 900 km north-east of New Zealand....
) (Kermadec Islands
Kermadec Islands

The Kermadec Islands are an island arc in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands have been part of New Zealand since 1887.The islands lie within 29? to 31.5? south latitude and 178? to 179? west longitude, 800 – 1000 km northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga....
)
M. macropus - lehua mamo
Metrosideros macropus

Metrosideros macropus , is a species of tree in the eucalyptus family, Myrtaceae. It is Endemism to the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands....
(Hawaii)
M. microphylla (New Caledonia)
M. nervulosa (Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean east of the Australian mainland. Along with Ball's Pyramid, it is administered by the Lord Howe Island Board, one of 175 local authorities in the state of New South Wales, and is part of the Mid-North Coast Statistical Division....
)
M. nitida (New Caledonia)
M. ochrantha (Fiji)
M. oreomyrtus (New Caledonia)
M. polymorpha - ohia lehua
Metrosideros polymorpha

The ohia lehua is a species of Flowering plant evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is Endemism to the six largest Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii....
(Hawaii)
M. punctata (New Caledonia)
M. robusta - northern rata
Metrosideros robusta

Northern rata , is a huge forest tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 25 m. or more tall, and usually begins its life as a hemi-epiphyte high in the branches of a mature forest tree; over centuries the young tree sends descending and girdling roots down and around the trunk of its host, eventually forming a massive, frequently hollow p...
(New Zealand)
M. rugosa - lehua papa
Metrosideros rugosa

Metrosideros rugosa , is a tree of the Myrtaceae family which is endemic to the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. It is closely related to the widespread and highly variable ohia lehua , found throughout the islands....
(Hawaii)
M. salomonensis (Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

For the group of islands rather than the nation, see Solomon Islands .The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands....
; this species has been variously placed in both subgenera)
M. sclerocarpa (Lord Howe Island)
M. tetrasticha (New Caledonia)
M. tremuloides - lehua ahihi (Hawaii)
M. umbellata - southern rata
Metrosideros umbellata

Southern rata , is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 15 m. or more tall with a trunk up to 1 m. or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer....
(New Zealand)
M. waialeaiae (Hawaii)

subgenus Mearnsia
M. albiflora (New Zealand)
M. angustifolia (South Africa)
M. brevistylis (New Caledonia)
M. cacuminum (New Caledonia)
M. carminea - Carmine rata
Metrosideros carminea

Metrosideros carminea is a forest liane or vine endemism to New Zealand. It occurs in coastal and lowland forest from Te Paki in the north of the North Island south to Mahia Peninsula and Taranaki....
(New Zealand)
M. colensoi (New Zealand)
M. cordata (New Guinea)
M. diffusa (New Zealand)
M. dolichandra (New Caledonia)
M. fulgens - Scarlet rata
Metrosideros fulgens

Metrosideros fulgens is a forest liane or vine endemism to New Zealand. It occurs in coastal and lowland forest throughout the North Island and on the west coast of the South Island....
(New Zealand)
M. halconensis (Philippines)
M. longipetiolata (New Caledonia)
M. operculata (New Caledonia)
M. ovata (New Guinea)
M. paniensis (New Caledonia)
M. parkinsonii (New Zealand)
M. patens (New Caledonia)
M. perforata (New Zealand)
M. porphyrea (New Caledonia)
M. ramiflora (New Guinea)
M. rotundifolia (New Caledonia)
M. scandens (New Guinea)
M. whitakeri (New Caledonia)
M. whiteana (New Guinea)
M. n. sp. (un-named) (Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

For the group of islands rather than the nation, see Solomon Islands .The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands....
)

subgenus Carpolepsis
M. elegans (New Caledonia)
M. laurifolia (New Caledonia)
M. tardiflora (New Caledonia)

Metrosideros

Distribution

Cultivation

Metrosideros species