Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Tree
Flowering Plants, Shrubs
Origin
New Zealand
Madagascar
Types
Metrosideros excelsa
Purple vinca, Vinca, cherry red, strawberry color
Number of Varieties
830
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, hedge rows, Woodlands
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-124-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
910.00 cm1.97 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
610.00 cm2.96 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Crimson
Magenta, Pink, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Brown, Sandy Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green, Gray
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Gray
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Gray
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Gray
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Acicular
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Fall, Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought, Pollution, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Does not require lot of watering, Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Slightly Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune ocassionally
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Botrytis Blight, Canker, Crown rot, Pythium rot, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Hummingbirds
Butterflies
Allergy
-
Intestinal gas, Nausea, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Used as Christmas tree, Used for making hedges
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Dysentry
Chest pain, High blood pressure, Inflammation, Sore throat, Tooth ache, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Wood
Whole plant
Other Uses
Application in Furniture
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging
Botanical Name
METROSIDEROS excelsa
Catharanthus roseus
Common Name
New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pohutukawa
Madagascar periwinkle or rosy periwinkle
In Hindi
pohutukawa
Periwinkle
In German
pohutukawa
Immergrün
In French
pohutukawa
Pervenche
In Spanish
pohutukawa
Bígaro
In Greek
pohutukawa
μυρτιά
In Portuguese
pohutukawa
Mirta
In Polish
pohutukawa
Barwinek
In Latin
pohutukawa
Periwinkle
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Mollusca
Class
-
Gastropoda
Order
Myrtales
Geraniales
Family
Myrtaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Metrosideros
Catharanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
128
1
27800
👆🏻