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.