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Weeds in our Area (Part Seventy Five)
By Bob and Ena McIntyre – Garden Route Branch
Metrosideros excelsa
The festive Season is here and we extend a warm welcome to all those who spend their holidays in
our company, either as visitors or homeowners. May you all have a happy, peaceful and
invigorating sojourn.
In the spirit of the season we chose to look at The New Zealand bottlebrush or Christmas tree
(Metrosideros excelsa), a member of the Myrtle family. In our area it is a standard feature of
almost every long established garden, with many mature examples in gardens along the Dune.
This time of the year they are in full bloom and easy to recognise. Its invasive status is that of
potential transformer and declared Category three invader (no new plantings). In Gardening books
promoting its use during the eighties, it was thought that although these plants grew to huge
proportions in their home country that they were unlikely to reach such proportions in the South
African environment and for this very reason were recommended for use as a hedging plant
particularly suited to our temperate coastal conditions. Since the 1990’s these plants have become
a major problem further south in the Kogelberg/Betty’s Bay areas where an ongoing battle has
been raging for many, many years to keep infestation into the fynbos under control. A similar
situation in our area can be avoided. If you have existing plants in your garden, simply watch out
for any seedlings, weed them out and destroy. By being alert and taking prompt action we can
prevent the proliferation of undesirable species.
Identification: The foliage of Metrosideros excelsa is
dark-green above and velvety grey–green beneath.
The leaves are firm and leathery with curled under
margins and are elliptical in shape, positioned in
opposite pairs. There is also a variegated form – the
foliage is edged in rich cream with dark green centres.
Mature plants are large and spreading (3 - 6 meters).
The very pretty crimson flower–clusters are
characterised by very prominent stamens that spray
out – similar to the hairs of a paint-brush. The fruits
are clusters of grey velvety capsules.
Control: The New Zealand Christmas tree spreads by way of root re-growth, coppicing readily
when cut and prolific seed generation. Seedlings or saplings are best hand-pulled. When cutting
down a plant, prevent coppicing by the immediate application of herbicide to the cut stump.
Substitutes: One of the most stunning indigenous varieties would certainly be the African Flame
(Spathodea capanulata). Other alternatives are the Mock Gardenia (Rothmannia capensis) with its
large scented, bell-shaped flowers and the Weeping Boerboon (Schotia brachypetala). Good
indigenous hedging subjects are Rhus undulata and Rhus crenata.
References: “ALIEN WEEDS AND INVASIVE PLANTS”: Lesley Henderson. Copyright © 2001
Agricultural Research Council, Newsletter July 2004, Kogelberg Branch of Botanical Society of SA, A
to Z of Gardening in SA (W G Sheat), Ornamental Shrubs and Trees for Gardens in SA (Una v/d
Spuy)