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Metrosideros collina 'Fiji'

(Fiji New Zealand Christmas Tree)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Fiji New Zealand Christmas Tree

Description

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Family Myrtaceae

Trees or shrubs , evergreen , usually with essential oils-containing cavities in foliage , branchlets , and flowers. Stipules absent or small and caducous . Leaves opposite, occasionally alternate, occasionally ternate or pseudo-whorled; leaf blade with secondary veins pinnate or basal, often with intramarginal veins near margin , margin usually entire. Inflorescences axillary or terminal , cymose but variously arranged, 1- to many-flowered. Flowers bisexual , sometimes polygamous, actinomorphic . Hypanthium usually adnate to ovary and prolonged above it. Calyx lobes (3 or) 4 or 5 or more, distinct or connate into a calyptra. Petals 4 or 5, sometimes absent, distinct or connate into a calyptra, sometimes coherent and pseudocalyptrate. Stamens usually numerous , in 1 to several whorls; filaments distinct or connate into 5 bundles opposite petals; anthers 2-celled, dorsifixed or basifixed , dehiscing longitudinally or rarely terminally; connectives usually terminating in 1 or more apical glands . Ovary inferior, semi-inferior, or very rarely superior, carpels 2 to more, locules 1 to many, pseudoseptum sometimes present, placentation usually axile but occasionally parietal ; ovules 1 to several per locule. Style single; stigma single. Fruit a capsule, berry, drupaceous berry, or drupe, 1- to many-seeded. Seeds without endosperm or endosperm sparse and thin; testa cartilaginous or thinly membranous, sometimes absent; embryo straight or curved .

About 130 genera and 4500-5000 species: Mediterranean region, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, tropical and temperate Asia, Australia, Pacific islands, tropical and South America; 10 genera (five introduced ) and 121 species (50 endemic, 32 introduced treated here) in China.

Many Myrtaceae are cultivated garden ornamentals , street trees, or plantation trees. Some members of tribe Syzygieae are grown as fruit crops. In addition to the cultivated members of the family treated here, some others grown in China include Acca sellowiana (O. Berg ) Burrett (Feijoa sellowiana (O. Berg) O. Berg), Myrtus communis Linnaeus, and Syncarpia glomulifera (Smith) Niedenzu.[1]

Physical Description

Habit: Mounding

Flowers: Flower Color: Red • Flower Conspicuous: Clusters of small trumpet-shaped flowers, stamens are conspicuous brush-like tufts

Foliage: Leathery • Foliage Shape: Oval • Normal foliage color: Green • Underside foliage: White • Juvenile foliage: Bronze • Mature foliage: Green • New foliage: Bronze • Spring foliage: Bronze • Summer foliage: Green • Fall foliage: Green • Winter foliage: Green

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Moderate Growing • Size: Compact mounding habit 2 ft . tall and wide.

Landscaping

Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system . Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring . For a tidy, neat appearance , shear annually to shape .

Biology

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Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun

Moisture: Water Requirements: Water regularly, when top 3 in. of soil is dry.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 12 (>210 days) Low:1 (< 1 days) (map) • Cold Hardiness: High:11 (Above 40 F) Low:9 (20 to 30 F) (map)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Metrosideros

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 35 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. collina (Anume (Samoa)) · M. collina var. newellii (Vunga) · M. collina var. vitiensis (Vunga) · M. collina 'Fiji' (Fiji New Zealand Christmas Tree) · M. collina 'Springfire' (Metrosideros) · M. excelsa (Common Pohutakawa) · M. excelsa 'Gala' (Common Pohutakawa) · M. fulgens 'Gold' (Metrosideros) · M. macropus ('ohi'a) · M. polymorpha ('ohi'a) · M. polymorpha var. dieteri J.W.Dawson and Stemmerm. ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. fauriei (‘ohi‘a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. glaberrima (Levl.) St. John ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. incana (Levl.) Skottsb. ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. macrophylla (Rock) St. John ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. macrostemon (‘ohi‘a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. micrantha (‘ohi‘a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. newellii (Rock) St. John ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. polymorpha Gaud. ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. pseudorugosa Skottsb. ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. pumila (Heller) Skottsb. ('ohi'a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. sericea (‘ohi‘a Lehua) · M. polymorpha var. subimbricata (‘ohi‘a Lehua) · M. robusta (Giant Rata) · M. rugosa (Lehua-Papa) · M. thomasii (Metrosideros Springfire) · M. tremuloides (Lehua-Ahihi) · M. umbellata (Ironwood) · M. villosa (Iron-Tree) · M. villosa 'Tahiti' (Tahiti New Zealand Christmas Tree) · M. villosus 'Tahiti' (Metrosideros) · M. vitiencensis 'Fiji' (Metrosideros) · M. waialealae (Kauai Bottlebrush) · M. waialealae (Rock) Rock var. fauriei (Levl.) J.W.Dawson & Stemmerm. (Kauai Bottlebrush) · M. waialealae (Rock) Rock var. waialealae (Rock) Rock (Kauai Bottlebrush)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Jie Chen & Lyn A. Craven "Myrtaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 321. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/21/2012