Information about plants & gardens for Brisbane & Qld

Metrosideros

species, hybrids and cultivars

Common Name: New Zealand Christmas Bush
Family: Myrtaceae

Over the years, several cultivars have been introduced into Australia as ornamental shrubs. The ones grown in Queensland appear to be mostly derived from M. collina (including those previously designated as M. thomasii. This species comes from islands in the Pacific, but the name "New Zealand Christmas Bush" has become attached to these plants, no doubt because NZ is home to a number of other species for which it's well known.

Metrosideros in the Landscape

This is a growing gallery of images of various types in landscape situations, with an eventual goal of being able to identify the main varieties growing in Queensland.

News Items

Australia gave NZ pohutukawa

Rata species and the revered pohutukawa (AKA New Zealand Christmas bush all belong to Metrosideros. Native members of this genus are found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, except for Australia. Fossil evidence from Tasmania showed it once occurred here, too. Newly discovered fossil species of Metrosideros now suggest that the genus first evolved in Australia. Why these species subsequently became extinct is unknown. Source: Australian origin likely for iconic New Zealand tree (June 2017)

Myrtle rust a threat to Metrosideros

This disease attacks a wide variety of plants in the family Myrtaceae. It was first detected in NSW in 2010, but has since been identified in many locations in Qld. For more information on the disease and up-to-date information concerning reporting obligations and quarantine restrictions, visit the Biosecurity Queensland website.

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