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New Zealand Christmas tree

Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 4.0

New Zealand Christmas tree

Metrosideros excelsa

New Zealand Christmas tree, known in New Zealand by its Māori name pōhutukawa, is a spreading coastal evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand, where its natural range is the coastal North Island and it is renowned as a cliff-dweller able to keep a hold in precarious, near-vertical places. The Christmas name comes from its bloom: from November to January, peaking in mid to late December, the tree is covered in brilliant crimson (occasionally orange, yellow, or white) flowers, each a mass of stamens. Trees reach 23 to 82 feet tall with a spreading, dome-like crown 26 to 49 feet or more across, usually on several trunks, and older trunks and branches are sometimes festooned with matted, fibrous aerial roots - a signature trait rather than a defect. It is very resistant to salt-laden maritime exposure and can be grown as a hedge in exposed seaside positions, but it is genuinely frost-tender: frost has killed it even in a sheltered Cornish garden, so it belongs only in a mild, near-frost-free coastal climate. Honesty matters here too: in parts of South Africa it grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species, it is naturalising on coastal cliffs near Sydney in south-eastern Australia, and in San Francisco its roots are blamed for destroying sewer lines and sidewalks, so check local invasive-species guidance before planting it outside New Zealand.

Climate fit: narrow (9/100)

Structure

Focal point

Pollinator

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

23-82 ft tall · 26 ft apart

Hardy in zones

9b-10b

frosty to mild winters

Life cycle

Perennial

Native in Illinois

No

Plants For A Future describes the flowers as hermaphrodite (each carries both male and female parts) and bee-pollinated, and rates the tree a good bee plant; its nectar is also the source of pōhutukawa honey in New Zealand.

°C

°F

Cold hardiness

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

Plotwright

USDA Zone 6b

-5°F to 0°F

Won't grow here

2050

2100

Zone 7a

Plotwright

0°F to 5°F

Won't grow here

In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.

✕

Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 2 ecoregions - 2 climate-resilient through 2070. Best matches first.

California coastal sage and chaparral

›

Fynbos shrubland

›

What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate water

Spacing

26 ft

Habit

Spreading, dome-shaped evergreen coastal tree, usually multi-trunked, with trunks and branches sometimes festooned with fibrous aerial roots as it ages

Care tips

•

Site it for the coast - full sun, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, and salt-laden sea air suit it well. It cannot grow in shade, and where frost is any risk, a sheltered, sunny spot is the safer choice.

•

Respect the frost limit: this is a genuinely frost-tender tree that has been killed by frost even in a sheltered Cornish garden, so only plant it outdoors where winters are reliably mild and near-frost-free.

•

Give it room from day one - a mature tree becomes very wide, and its vigorous roots, blamed for destroying sewer lines and sidewalks in San Francisco, are best kept well away from paving, pipes, and foundations.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in full sun (it cannot grow in shade) in well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, ideally lime-free; it is very resistant to salt-laden coastal exposure. It is genuinely frost-tender, so plant it outdoors only in a reliably mild, near-frost-free climate, and give it plenty of room, since a mature tree is broad and its roots have been blamed for destroying sewer lines and sidewalks. Outside New Zealand, check local invasive-species guidance first: it is regarded as invasive in parts of South Africa and is naturalising on coastal cliffs near Sydney.

Transplanting

Move young container-grown trees while they are small; a large, established specimen is a much harder move. Handle the rootball gently and avoid burying the trunk flare.

Early growth

Water regularly while the root system establishes, keeping the soil moist but never waterlogged. Shelter young trees from frost: the RHS notes that the plant becomes only borderline hardy once its stems turn woody, at around five years. Stake loosely in exposed sites until the trunk thickens.

Maturity

Slow to reach its full size (the RHS gives more than 50 years to ultimate height), a mature tree becomes a broad, dome-crowned specimen, often multi-trunked, and old trunks can be fattened by layer upon layer of aerial roots. Established trees need little routine care beyond occasional shaping.

Propagation

Grow from seed sown in spring in a warm greenhouse and only just covered, or from half-ripe cuttings 3 to 4 inches long with a heel, which Plants For A Future reports root at a good percentage. At least 39 named cultivars exist, including yellow-flowered and variegated forms; propagate those from cuttings so they stay true, since seedlings will not reliably match a cultivar.

Plant this, not that

Better fit for this place

For Chicago, IL, these are replacement suggestions: similar plants with a stronger hardiness fit now and/or in 2050.

Prunus serotina

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Hamamelis virginiana

Common witch hazel

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Better fit now and in 2050

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Tree

Full sun / Part shade

Better fit now and in 2050

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Similar plants

Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.

Tilia americana

American basswood

A medium-to-large native shade tree of central and eastern North America, reaching 50 to 80 feet with an ovate-rounded crown and large, asymmetric heart-shaped leaves. In June it carries pale-yellow, intensely fragrant flowers on pendulous cymes - each cluster hung from a distinctive strap-like leafy bract - that ripen into pea-sized nutlets. The fragrant June bloom is a premier nectar source: Missouri Botanical Garden lists it as attracting bees and butterflies, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags it as having special value to both native and honey bees.

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The only native U.S. holly with both spiny green leaves and bright red berries - an upright, pyramidal, broadleaf evergreen tree that slowly matures to 15 to 30 feet in cultivation (to 50 feet in the wild). Thick, leathery, deep green leaves bear spiny marginal teeth, and pollinated female trees carry showy red-to-orange drupes that ripen in fall and persist through winter as bird food. This is the classic "Christmas holly" of wreaths and decorations.

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Full sun / Part shade

The largest native cherry of eastern North America - a medium-to-large deciduous shade tree that hangs elongated racemes of small white flowers in spring, then ripens drooping strings of pea-sized fruit from red to near-black in late summer. The fragrant white bloom feeds bees while the fruit is eaten by 33 species of birds and many mammals; it is also a workhorse larval host, supporting the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and a string of giant silk and sphinx moths. Every part except the ripe fruit is cyanide-bearing and toxic.

Tree

Full sun / Part sun / Part shade

Common hawthorn is a deciduous, thorny small tree or large shrub native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and western Asia, where it has been used for centuries as stock-proof hedging and valued for its May blossom and autumn haws. In the garden it earns its keep as a tough wildlife powerhouse - a single mature tree can support hundreds of invertebrate species, and the haw crop sustains thrushes and waxwings through winter (Wikipedia). The honest catch is the thorns: they are genuinely sharp (up to 0.5 inches), making pruning painful and placing it off-limits near paths and play areas; the tree is also considered invasive in parts of the Pacific Northwest, Australia, and New Zealand where it outcompetes native scrub.

Educator packet

Plant packet

New Zealand Christmas tree educator packet

New Zealand Christmas tree, known in New Zealand by its Māori name pōhutukawa, is a spreading coastal evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand, where its natural range is the coastal North Island and it is renowned as a cliff-dweller able to keep a hold in precarious, near-vertical places. The Christmas name comes from its bloom: from November to January, peaking in mid to late December, the tree is covered in brilliant crimson (occasionally orange, yellow, or white) flowers, each a mass of stamens. Trees reach 23 to 82 feet tall with a spreading, dome-like crown 26 to 49 feet or more across, usually on several trunks, and older trunks and branches are sometimes festooned with matted, fibrous aerial roots - a signature trait rather than a defect. It is very resistant to salt-laden maritime exposure and can be grown as a hedge in exposed seaside positions, but it is genuinely frost-tender: frost has killed it even in a sheltered Cornish garden, so it belongs only in a mild, near-frost-free coastal climate. Honesty matters here too: in parts of South Africa it grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species, it is naturalising on coastal cliffs near Sydney in south-eastern Australia, and in San Francisco its roots are blamed for destroying sewer lines and sidewalks, so check local invasive-species guidance before planting it outside New Zealand.

Scientific name

Metrosideros excelsa

Plant type

tree

Hardiness

9b-10b

Light

full-sun

Moisture

moderate

Spacing

26 ft

Classroom prompts

- Which plant traits are observations, and which are care recommendations?

- How would this plant fit change if the garden location moved warmer, colder, wetter, or drier?

- Which source-backed facts would you cite in a lesson handout?

Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and the field-level source list.

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed this record.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa). Retrieved 2026, October 9, from https://plotwright.com/plants/metrosideros-excelsa

Sources used for this record

This record is compiled from the sources below.

Plants of the World Online (POWO)

Botanical research database

Open source

Source guide

GBIF

Botanical research database

Open source

Source guide

Wikipedia (ecoregion articles)

Botanical research database