Metrosideros fulgens

Metrosideros fulgens
Metrosideros fulgens produces brilliant red flowers in winter
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Metrosideros
Species:	M. fulgens
Binomial name
Metrosideros fulgens Sol. ex Gaertn.
Synonyms
Metrosideros scandens (J.R.Forst. et G.Forst.)

Metrosideros fulgens (Scarlet rātā) is a forest liane or vine endemic to New Zealand. It occurs in coastal and lowland forest throughout the North Island and on the west coast of the South Island. It is one of a number of New Zealand Metrosideros species which live out their lives as vines, unlike the northern rata ( M.robusta), which generally begins as a hemi-epiphyte and grows into a huge tree. Scarlet rātā is one of the better known species of rātā vines, because it flowers in autumn or winter, and is often highly visible on well-lit host trees along forest roads, with vibrant displays of large red flowers (sometimes orange or yellow) that rise above the forest canopy.

Description

Unfolding stamens of the flower of M. fulgens

Metrosideros fulgens prefers warm moist habitats and grows up to 10 m. long or more, with the main stem up to 10 cm. or more in diameter. It climbs in the same way as ivy, sending out short adventitious roots to adhere to the trunks of host trees, penetrating and clinging to rough surfaces. The climbing shoots of juvenile plants are designed to grow rapidly and extend the length of the plant. The short clinging roots usually die after about a year, so that when the vine is mature, the thick, twisted, rope-like stems hang free from the host like thick, sometimes twisted ropes, with red-brown flaky bark. The leaves are mostly rounded at the tip. Flowering is from autumn to spring, with seed capsules taking about a year to ripen.

Cultivation

There are several cultivars of M. fulgens. Metrosideros ‘Gold’ has bright yellow flowers from late summer to early winter and grows to 1.5 by 1.5 metres, taking several years to reach this size. It has attractive fresh light green foliage, and can be trimmed to form an informal hedge. Another cultivar, Metrosideros fulgens 'Jaffa' is a compact bush producing brilliant burnt-orange flowers.

See also

• Carmine rātā

External links

• Project Crimson

References

• "Metrosideros fulgens". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=983. Retrieved 2010-10-03. 
• "Metrosideros scandens". Flora of New Zealand. http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Taxon.aspx?id=_64f48e58-6e2a-44d1-a05e-2babf1996d73&fileName=Flora%201.xml. Retrieved 2007-06-10. 
• "Metrosideros fulgens Gold syn Aurata". Little Wonder Plants. http://www.liddlewonder.co.nz/schemedetail.php?plantid=1118. Retrieved 2007-06-10. 
• "Nature's Corner, Late Autumn 2004: Flowers, fruit, and ferns". Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070929034713/http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/whatsnew/naturescorner/nc-lateautumn2004.html. Retrieved 2007-06-10. 
• "Nature’s Corner – Mid Summer to Early Autumn 2007". Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070929034659/http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/whatsnew/naturescorner/nc-latesummer2007.html. Retrieved 2007-06-10. 
• "Honeyeaters and the New Zealand Forest Flora: the Utilisation and Profitability of Small Flowers". New Zealand Journal of Ecology (1997) 21(2): 169-179. http://www.massey.ac.nz/~aroberts/castro%20&%20Robertson%201997.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-10. 
• Dawson, D., and R. Lucas, 2000. Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest. Auckland: Random House.
• Simpson, P., 2005. Pōhutukawa & Rātā: New Zealand's Iron-Hearted Trees. Wellington: Te Papa Press.