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Metrosideros bartlettii
Height: 8m;  Spread: 3m
Bartlett's Rata (Tree)
Large tree with weeping branches. White flowers. Rare and endangered. Endemic it is only known from three forest remnants near Spirits Bay.
» For a landscaping perspective on Metrosideros bartlettii, see this article by O2 Landscapes...
Photo gallery:
New Growth of bartlettii.
Bark of a young bartletii.
15 year old (approx) Bartletti growing as a Specimen Tree at Fernglen Gardens, Auckland. (12Oct2014)
Bartletti foliage and flower bud formations. (Fernglen Gardens, 12Oct2014)
Bartletti flower buds closeup, stay tuned for updates as they open up over the next few weeks! (Fernglen Gardens, 12Oct2014)
Bartletti flower buds close-up a week later (19thOct2014), looking closer to opening up.
Bartletti flower buds close-up 2 weeks later (26thOct2014), getting closer.
Bartletti flower buds close-up 3 weeks later (2ndNov2014) from first pic, buds getting bigger.
Bartletti flower buds close-up 4 weeks later (9thNov2014), MUCH closer, red crosses forming in the centred of the bud.
That's what I've been waiting for. First-hand real flowers (16Nov2014). Awesome. Next week this
A fully opened flower which has opened ahead of my
That's what I've been waiting for. First-hand real flowers (16Nov2014). Awesome - my
Favourite picture of these awesome blooms. (23Nov2014)
Actually no, this is my favourite pictured .... actually I have quite a few favourites (but this is my favourite.. 23Nov2014)
Very different from prior weeks was that the tree was literally a-buzz. Bumbles were the loudest, but flight-iest. Might be a bit big to get at the nectar perhaps because they didn't sit still very long at all before buzzing off for another attempt (23Nov2014).
This native bee, with its mates, were by far the winners with the flowers on this tree, just the right shape to get every drop they wanted. Quick moving tho' - quite the challenge to photograph one staying still long enough on top of the flower (as opposed to only seeing its rear-end due to the front end being buried deep down the stamens).
Plenty of honey bees as well, slower moving, but making hard work of getting their head down the stamens.
Fernglen's specimen in full bloom, 23Nov2014 (compare to the earlier photo I took on 12Oct2014 where it is just budding). A relatively young tree of about 30 years (planted in 1991 as a
M.bartlettii growing on specifically designed macro bonsai plinth to display sculptural root formations. Birkenhead, Auckland.
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