Metrosideros means “iron-hearted referring to the hardness of the timber, umbellata meaning “bearing umbels” an umbrella shaped group of flowers originating from a single stem. The Rata is best suited to cooler, high rainfall regions and prefers fertile soil in full sun. The Rata grows particularly well along the South Island's West Coast and is the most widely spread of all New Zealand Rata ranging from small trees on high Northland and Coromandel outcrops to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands where it forms the country's southernmost forest’s and occurs from sea level to 760m. It is hardy to zone 9.The Rata is slow growing to around 15 m high or more, with a trunk diameter up to 1m and can reach 500 years old. Rata, like its relative, Pohutukawa, has the ability to sprout root systems as and where needed. These adventitious roots form out of trunks and branches, and are able to grow in air over surfaces as they search for crevices and pockets of soil and moisture