Metrosideros

Belongs within: Myrtaceae.

Metrosideros is a genus of trees, shrubs and lianes found between Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and islands of the Pacific. The pohutukawa M. excelsa, a common tree in coastal regions of New Zealand, is often referred to as the ‘New Zealand Christmas tree’ in reference to its bright red flowers in summer.

Characters (Allan 1961): Aromatic shrubs, trees or woody lianes with simple, opposite, gland-dotted, exstipulate leaves. Flowers in usually terminal cymes or racemes; receptacle adnate to ovary; sepals 5, imbricate; petals 5; stamens numerous, many more than petals; filaments filiform, anthers versatile. Ovary three-celled, style filiform, ovules numerous. Capsules coriaceous, loculicidally three-valved, or dehiscence irregular; seeds linear.

<==Metrosideros Banks ex Gaertn. 1788A61
    |--M. albiflora Sol. ex Gaertn. 1788 [incl. M. diffusa Cunn. 1839 non Melaleuca diffusa Forst. f. 1786]A61
    |--M. carminea Oliver 1928 (see below for synonymy)A61
    |--M. colensoi Hook. f. 1852A61
    |    |--M. c. var. colensoiA61
    |    `--M. c. var. pendens (Col.) Kirk 1899 [=M. pendens Col. 1880]A61
    |--M. collinaST99
    |    |--M. c. ssp. collinaST99
    |    `--M. c. ssp. polymorphaST99
    |--M. diffusa (Forst. f.) Smith 1797 (see below for synonymy)A61
    |--M. excelsa Sol. ex Gaertn. 1788 [incl. M. tomentosa Rich. 1832]A61
    |--M. fulgens Sol. ex Gaertn. 1788A61 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. glomuliferaM89
    |--M. kermadecensis Oliver 1928 (see below for synonymy)A61
    |--M. macropusWO05
    |--M. parkinsonii Buchan. 1883A61
    |--M. perforata (Forster & Forster) Rich. 1832 (see below for synonymy)A61
    |--M. robusta Cunn. 1839 (see below for synonymy)A61
    |--M. × sub-tomentosa Carse 1927 [M. excelsa × M. robusta]A61
    |--M. umbellata Cav. 1795A61 (see below for synonymy)
    `--M. villosa Smith 1797C06

Metrosideros carminea Oliver 1928 [incl. M. diffusa Hook. f. 1852 nec Melaleuca diffusa Forst. f. 1786 nec Met. diffusa Cunn. 1839]^A61

Metrosideros diffusa (Forst. f.) Smith 1797 [=Melaleuca diffusa Forst. f. 1786; incl. Met. hypericifolia Cunn. 1839 non Salisb. 1796, Met. subsimilis Colenso 1880]^A61

Metrosideros fulgens Sol. ex Gaertn. 1788^A61 [incl. Met. aurata Colenso 1891^A61, Met. florida var. aurata^A27, Melaleuca florida Forst. f. 1786^A61, Leptospermum scandens Forster & Forster 1776^A61, Metrosideros scandens (Forster & Forster) Druce 1917^A61, Met. speciosa Col. 1890^A61]

Metrosideros kermadecensis Oliver 1928 [incl. M. polymorpha Hook. f. 1864 non Gaud. 1826, M. villosa Kirk 1899 non Smith 1797]^A61

Metrosideros perforata (Forster & Forster) Rich. 1832 [=Leptospermum perforatum Forster & Forster 1776, Melaleuca perforata Forst. f. 1786; incl. Metrosideros buxifolia Cunningham 1839, Mel. scandens Sol. ex Gaertn. 1788, Met. tenuifolium Colenso 1892, Met. vesiculata Colenso 1884]^A61

Metrosideros robusta Cunn. 1839 [incl. M. florida Hook. f. 1849 non Melaleuca florida Forst. f. 1786, M. robusta var. intermedia Kirk 1899, M. robusta var. retusa Kirk 1899]^A61

Metrosideros umbellata Cav. 1795^A61 [=Agalmanthus umbellatus^C06; incl. Melaleuca lucida Forst. f. 1786 non Linn. f. 1781^A61, Metrosideros lucida (Forster) Rich. 1832^A61]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[A27] Andersen, J. C. 1927. Popular names of New Zealand plants. Part 2. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 905–977.

[C06] Cheeseman, T. F. 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora. John Mackay, Government Printer: Wellington.

[M89] Maiden, J. H. 1889. Notes on the geographical distribution of some New South Wales plants, compiled from information supplied by W. Bauerlen, and from some diagnoses by Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S., &c. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 4 (1): 107–112.

[ST99] Saenz, G. S., & J. W. Taylor. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships of Meliola and Meliolina inferred from nuclear small subunit rRNA sequences. Mycological Research 103 (8): 1049–1056.

[WO05] Wilson, P. G., M. M. O’Brien, M. M. Heslewood & C. J. Quinn. 2005. Relationships within Myrtaceae sensu lato based on a matK phylogeny. Plant Systematics and Evolution 251: 3–19.