Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Tree
Flowering Plants
Origin
New Zealand
Southwestern United States, California
Types
Metrosideros excelsa
-
Number of Varieties
840
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, hedge rows, Woodlands
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-124-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
9-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
910.00 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
610.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Crimson
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown, Sandy Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Gray
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Gray
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Acicular
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Insects
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Used as Christmas tree, Used for making hedges
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Dysentry
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Wood
Whole plant
Other Uses
Application in Furniture
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
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
METROSIDEROS excelsa
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pohutukawa
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
pohutukawa
Firecracker penstemon
In German
pohutukawa
Kracher penstemon
In French
pohutukawa
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
pohutukawa
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
pohutukawa
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
pohutukawa
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
pohutukawa
petarda penstemon
In Latin
pohutukawa
Firecracker Persicaria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
-
Class
-
-
Order
Myrtales
Lamiales
Family
Myrtaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Metrosideros
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
12250
1
27800
👆🏻