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  4. Metrosideros colensoi

Metrosideros colensoi

Auckland.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Date taken: 09/11/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Oct 2006.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Oct 2006.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Waitomo, November.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Auckland.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Date taken: 09/11/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Auckland.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Date taken: 09/11/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Kowhai Bush, Wairarapa.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 26/02/2014, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Kowhai Bush, Wairarapa.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 26/02/2014, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Te Kanuka Road, Wairarapa.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 27/02/2014, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Keith George Scenic Reserve, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/01/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Adaxial surface of leaves. Keith George Scenic Reserve, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/01/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Abaxial surfaces of leaves. Keith George Scenic Reserve, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/01/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Adxial surfaces of new leaves. Keith George Scenic Reserve, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/01/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Abaxial surfaces of new leaves. Keith George Scenic Reserve.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 29/01/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

rātā

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons

Simplified description

Woody long-climbing vine. Adult branches pendent. Adult leaves green, finely hairy, close-set and overlapping, sharp-tipped, surfaces without any obvious glandular spotting. Flowers terminal, fluffy, white or pink.

Flower colours

Red/Pink, White

Detailed description

Slender to very slender vine up to 10 m tall. Bark grey to pale grey, ± tessellated, and flaking in tabular shards. Initial stems sparingly branched but soon much-branched, widely spreading, apices trailing and pendent. Branchlets subterete, pilose-pubescent (indument in mixtures or fine, short and long pilose brownish hairs). Leaves not markedly dimorphic, close-set to overlapping (± imbricate), submembranous to subcoriaceous, petiolate, ± subsessile; petioles 1–3 mm long, subterete; juvenile lamina 4–10 × 2–8 mm, ovate-lanceolate, base cuneate to almost truncate, apex acute to acuminate, initially yellow-green, adaxially maturing to green, abaxially paler, both surfaces finely covered in minute oil glands, and initially densely pubescent, ± glabrescent; adult lamina 8–20 × 5–20 mm, otherwise similar. Inflorescences terminal and lateral, white (rarely pink), comprising small, few-flowered cymes; peduncles and pedicels pubescent, peduncles 10–30 mm long, pedicels up to 3 mm long; hypanthia 5 mm long, narrowly- urceolate or -subglobose to ± funnelform, pubescent, hypanthium rim exceeding disc, calyx lobes 1.5-2.0 mm long, narrow deltoid, acute to acuminate, initially forward projecting, spreading with age. Petals 1.5–2.2 × 1.5–2.2 mm, orbicular, not or only scarcely exceeding calyx lobes. Stamens numerous, filaments 8–12 mm long, anthers yellow. Style 10–14 mm long, stigma capitate. Capsule 4-6 mm diameter, narrowly urceolate to subglobose, externally 3-ribbed, 3-valved. Seeds 0.6–1.1 mm long, narrowly elliptic, narrowly obovate or oblong, apex usually curved orange to orange-brown, unfilled seeds dark orange-brown.

Similar taxa

Readily distinguished from other similar small, white-flowered rata (Metrosideros diffusa and M. perforata) by the widely spreading, pendant branches, softly hairy, close-set, overlapping, ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate leaves (without obvious oil glands) and terminal, white to pink inflorescences.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from central Northland south), South Island (Nelson and Marlborough to Westland and southern Marlborough / North Canterbury (Napenape)).

Habitat

Lowland to montane forest (particularly a vine seen in riparian and alluvial forest). Especially common in limestone areas on rock outcrops, in gorges, cliff faces and around cave entrances.

Current conservation status

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2023 | Not Threatened

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

When myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) was detected in New Zealand (May 2017) the conservation status was upgraded as a precautionary measure to ‘Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable’ because, on best advice, it was believed that no indigenous Myrtaceae had resistance to the myrtle rust disease (de Lange et al. 2018).

Myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) is an invasive fungus that threatens native myrtle species. Learn more myrtlerust.org.nz.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Myrtaceae

Authority

Metrosideros colensoi Hook.f.

Synonyms

Metrosideros pendens Colenso, Metrosideros colensoi Hook.f. var. colensoi, Metrosideros colensoi var. pendens (Colenso) Kirk

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

August–October

Fruiting

December–April

Propagation technique

Although a beautiful species, M. colensoi is not commonly cultivated and it has a reputation for being difficult. Like all other climbing rātā it can be grown from rooted pieces and from semi-hardwood cuttings. However like all Metrosideros, cuttings can be fickle to strike. This species, once established is very hardy and tolerant of a range of conditions. The long drooping (pendent) branches and terminal clusters of white fluffy flowers are especially attractive when specimens are planted to grow up a wall or along a fence.

Other information

Etymology

metrosideros: Iron heart

colensoi: Named after William Colenso (7 November 1811 - 10 February 1899) who was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.

Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key

Key to the Myrtaceae of New Zealand

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

METCOL

Chromosome number

2n = 22

Previous conservation statuses

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2017 | Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DP, De

2012 | Not Threatened

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Data Deficient

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.

Referencing and citations

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (6 January 2013). Description from herbarium specimens and fresh material.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Metrosideros colensoi Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/metrosideros-colensoi/ (Date website was queried)

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