Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
South Africa
New Zealand
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Metrosideros excelsa
Number of Varieties
78
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Coastal Regions, hedge rows, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1110-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-9
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm910.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
Red, Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Brown, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green, Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green, Gray
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Used as Christmas tree, Used for making hedges
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
Astringent, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Flowers, Wood
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Application in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
METROSIDEROS excelsa
Common Name
Buttonbush
New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pohutukawa
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
pohutukawa
In German
Button Strauch
pohutukawa
In French
buttonbush arbuste
pohutukawa
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
pohutukawa
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
pohutukawa
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
pohutukawa
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
pohutukawa
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
pohutukawa
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Rubiales
Myrtales
Family
Bruniaceae
Myrtaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Metrosideros
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1212
1
27800
👆🏻