CHAPTER XI 



AMONG native trees indigenous to this island 

 the Metrosideros family are the most 

 splendid. Their crimson flowers, like the scarlet 

 Flowering Gum of Australia, are almost entirely 

 composed of brilliant scarlet stamens, whose 

 colour produces a splendid effect. They flower 

 very freely quite at the extremity of the branches, 

 so that they almost cover the tree. They are 

 called the Christmas-tree because they flower 

 about that time. I have not seen the forests of 

 M. robusta, mentioned by the late Professor Kirk, 

 who says that they are too dazzling to behold 

 when the sun shines upon them. But one or two 

 good specimens in full flower are a sight not to 

 be forgotten. M. tomentosa (Pohutukawa), which 

 grow at the edge of the Auckland Harbour, are 

 a truly beautiful sight. They are large trees, with 

 their roots in the salt water ; and Mr. Froude, in 

 his book on New Zealand, says that oysters cling 

 to their roots. I planted sixteen of them just 

 about sixteen years ago, which now vary from 

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