General Information

COMMON NAMES: Polynesian Metrosideros TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rata (RR) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Southeast Polynesia (Rarotonga - Australs - Societies) COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of e.Polynesia; Land, mountains (++++) KEY FEATURES: Bushy shrub or gnarled tree to 8m. LEAVES in terminal clusters, opposite with adjacent pairs at right angles (=decussate), oval to 6x3cm, thick and leathery, edge smooth, tip obtuse, base obtuse; stalk to 4mm. FLOWERS terminal clusters, c.25, in 1-3 per stalk; petals 5, red, small, 2x3mm(WxL); stamens c.30, long to 15mm, crimson; style undivided, 15mm long. FRUIT 5mmØ, ripens grey, with 3 seeds.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	-	-	-	-	-	-		-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Metrosideros collina (J.R.Forster & G.Forster)
SYNONYMS: Metrosideros collina collina; Metrosideros villosa [sensu TC]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Myrtales; MYRTACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: A widespread and variable genus that has been the subject of much confusion at the species and subspecies level. The Fiji flora of 1985 has three subspecies of Metrosideros collina distributed from Vanuatu to the Societies, while the Hawaiian flora of 1990 lists five endemic species of which one, M. polymorpha has eight subspecies. Genetic analysis of Metrosideros in 2000 cast a new light on the genus. It suggested that the tropical Pacific species arose as a result of at least three separate colonisation events from New Zealand species. It showed that the five species of Hawaii, along with those of Tahiti, Rarotonga and Kermadecs are all nearly identical with NZ's M. excelsa (Pohutukawa); and that they colonised in one or more events in relatively recent times, possibly during the various Ice Ages when strong westerly winds prevailed carrying wind-borne seeds into eastern Polynesia. They also suggested that the M. collina of Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa had a different and earlier origin than the collina of Eastern Polynesia.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
Special Reference: Wright, S.D. et.al. (2000) Riding the ice age El Nino? Pacific biogeography and evolution of Metrosideros subg. Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal DNA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97(8): 4118-4123.

p.964 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.633 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.730 Hortus 3rd
p.744 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.685 Tropica
p.3/294 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.279 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.82 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.396d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.118 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, zD06a

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