Iconic New Zealand coastal tree with leathery dark green leaves, silver undersides, and brilliant crimson brush-like flowers at midsummer.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 9–11 | −6.7 °C to 10 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H3 | −5 °C to 1 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 4–7 | 0 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
About Pohutukawa (NZ Christmas tree)
The pohutukawa flowers in December, which in the southern hemisphere is midsummer, and that timing gave it the name New Zealand Christmas tree. What appears as a mass of crimson is made of stamens rather than petals. It grows on coastal cliffs and headlands, tolerating salt, wind and remarkably little soil, and sends down aerial roots that thicken into additional trunks. A single ancient pohutukawa at Cape Reinga holds particular significance in Māori tradition as the point from which spirits depart. Possum browsing has caused serious damage to wild populations.
Growing notes
- Major nectar source for native New Zealand birds including tūī and bellbird
- Brilliant crimson flowers around Christmas (midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere) make this an unmistakable seasonal marker in coastal New Zealand
- Salt tolerant and wind tolerant — one of the great coastal trees
- Slow growing but very long lived
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
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