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Northern rātā is a massive tree, easily distinguished from other Metrosideros species by its small, leathery, dark green leaves which are 25-50mm long by 15-25mm wide, and have a distinct notch at the tip. Young growth is generally pink and covered in fine rust-coloured hairs that are gradually shed as the foliage ages but tends to persist at the midrib and in the vicinity of the leaf base. The flowers, borne in sprays on the tips of branches, are a mass of dark scarlet stamens. Flowering peaks between November and January, and seeds take a year or slightly more to ripen. The bark is usually brown or grey-brown and rather corky and provides an ideal stratum for the roots of epiphytic plants such as Astelia species and Freycinetia banksii (kiekie). The wood is reddish brown, and the manner of its growth results in a twisted grain.

why rata has bright flowers?

The Northern rata is related to the pohutukawa and has the same bright red flowers at Christmas time. Most trees start as a seed in the ground but rata are a bit different. Their seeds are blown high into the branches of other trees where they germinate. The little plant grows on the dirt that collects in the angle of the branch. Slowly it begins to grow roots down towards the ground. Over hundreds of years the roots join together until they completely surround the trunk of its host tree. In time the host tree dies and rots away, leaving the rata tree growing with a hollow inside.

It prefers cooler regions with high rainfall and is particularly common along the west coast of the South Island where its nectar is the main source of a locally-produced rātā honey. Southern rātā is the most widespread of the New Zealand tree rātā species. It is locally present in the North Island from lat. 36° southwards, is more common in western parts of the South Island but absent from much of the east, and is common on Stewart Island (47ºS) and in the Auckland Islands where it reaches its southern limit at just over 50°S

Southern rātā (Metrosideros umbellata), is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 15 m. or more tall with a trunk up to 1 m. or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer. Unlike its relative, Northern rātā, this species rarely grows as an epiphyte. Also know as the Totara Tree. This is where the Totara Tree is based in New Zealand. It can fit around it up to 8-10 children