item details
Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington Ltd.; publisher; 1888; London
Leighton Brothers; printer; 1888; London
Overview
Plate 16 of 36 from Georgina Hetley's The native flowers of New Zealand (1888). The coloured illustration is accompanied by the following text describing the plant:
METROSIDEROS FLORIDA, Hook. fil.
Native Name: Kahikahika
This is found throughout the Islands in forests, and has a most brilliant appearance when in blossom; it clothes the lower part of the tree, and becomes a tree itself, killing the one which assisted it to climb. The colour of the flower varies from scarlet to yellow, and is often quite spherical in shape. It resembles the Golden Bottlebrush of Australia, though brighter in colour. It flowers in Autumn, and the other Ratas in Spring.