Crimson rata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crimson rata |
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| Metrosideros carminea produces carmine-red flowers in spring | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Metrosideros
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| Species: |
carminea
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The Metrosideros carminea, also known as Carmine rātā or Crimson rātā, is a special plant from New Zealand. In the Māori language, it's called akakura. This plant is a type of forest vine or liane, which means it's a woody climbing plant that grows up other trees. You can find it in coastal and lowland forests in the North Island of New Zealand, from Te Paki in the north all the way down to the Mahia Peninsula and Taranaki. Unlike some other Metrosideros plants, like the huge Northern rātā tree, the Carmine rātā always grows as a climbing vine.
Contents
What is Carmine Rātā Like?
The Carmine rātā loves warm, damp places. It can grow very long, sometimes over 15 meters! Its main stem can be several centimeters thick, like a strong rope.
Leaves and Flowers
This plant has small, shiny, deep-green leaves that are thick and pointed. They often look widest in the middle. The new stems where the leaves grow are often reddish.
One of the most exciting things about the Carmine rātā is its flowers. From late winter to mid-spring, it bursts into life with bright, vibrant red flowers. These beautiful flowers grow in groups at the ends of the stems, making a stunning display. After the flowers, small seed capsules grow, which ripen between late spring and early autumn.
How it Climbs
The Carmine rātā climbs like Ivy, using short roots that grow out from its stem. These roots help it stick to the trunks of other trees and rough surfaces. When the plant is young, these climbing shoots grow very fast, helping the vine get longer quickly. However, these short roots usually die after about a year. So, when the vine gets older and thicker, its strong, twisted, rope-like stems often hang freely from the host tree.
Growing Carmine Rātā in Gardens
People often grow this climbing rātā in their gardens because of its amazing bright red flowers that appear in early spring. You can usually buy it from plant nurseries in New Zealand.
Different Types of Carmine Rātā
There are a few special types, or cultivars, of Metrosideros carminea that gardeners like to grow:
- Metrosideros ‘Red Carpet’: This type flowers a lot in October, which is late spring in New Zealand.
- Metrosideros 'Carousel: This is a small, attractive shrub that grows close to the ground. It has shiny, lime-green leaves with wide gold edges. It also has small carmine-red flowers in spring and grows up to 80 centimeters tall.
- Metrosideros 'Ferris Wheel: This type has shiny, deep-green leaves. It produces bright carmine-red flowers with golden centers throughout the spring and grows up to 90 centimeters tall.
It's interesting to know that if you grow a Carmine rātā from a seed, it will usually grow as a climbing vine. But if you grow it from a cutting (a piece of an adult plant), it often grows into a small shrub or a plant that spreads along the ground, like the 'Carousel' and 'Ferris Wheel' types.
Images for kids
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Leaves and stems of a young specimen of M. carminea
