Metrosideros excelsa
| Metrosideros excelsa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 23' |
| Width: | 49' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Metrosideros excelsa (common name: pohutukawa)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, in individual pots in a frame. Good percentage[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained but moisture-retentive lime-free soil in a sunny position[2][1]. Plants are somewhat lime-tolerant but are unsuitable for shallow soils over chalk[1]. Very resistant to maritime exposure[3][1].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[4] and succeeding outdoors only in the mildest areas of the country where it makes a small shrub[5][1]. Plants grow very well on the Isles of Scilly, where they are cut back by cold perhaps once every twenty years. They usually sprout again from their thick branches[6].
A good bee plant[7]. Very ornamental[5].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: New Zealand.
Habitat: Coastal forests in North and Three Kings Islands[8].
Edibility: An edible nectar is obtained from the flowers[7].
Medicinal: Astringent. Used in the treatment of dysentery[9][10].
Usage: Plants can be used as a hedge, succeeding in exposed maritime positions[3][1].
Wood - dense, compact, heavy, durable, very strong. Used for ship-making, bearings, machine beds etc[9][10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.