Re: (Metrosideros) Bloom seasons in northern and southern hemispheres

1) I'm interested to hear Metrosideros is grown in
Cornwall. M. excelsa? or M. umbellata or M. robusta?

2) What does the bloom of the actual South African
native Metrosideros (M. angustifolia) look like? The
few plants I've seen here in California have never
even hinted they would bloom.

3) As I'm sure I've typed on about ad nauseum, the
question of Metrosideros excelsa flowering here in San
Francisco has interested me for a while. There's a
general vague peak in late spring and early summer
here, but not terribly distinct except in certain
individual trees, and I've wondered why. I decided,
based on leaf shape and the sporadic quality of bloom,
that most of the trees here are actually Metrosideros
kermadecensis or hybrids between it M. excelsa, since
M. kermadecensis is known for its sporadic flowering.
Perhaps there's something about our summers being
cooler and drier than in North Island, too, that
prevents the display Pohutukawa is known for in
habitat.
-Jason Dewees
San Francisco, California

<snip>
>...However
> > the same could not be said of some of the
> Myrtaceae I saw, several
> > attractive scarlet Metrosideros excelsa by the sea
> at Camps Bay reminded me
> > that ours made its display way back in the British
> mid-summer, (probably a
> > sensible idea given the current weather here).

Moira:
> In the case of the Metrosoderos I should just like
> to point out that 
> this is a New Zealander not an Australian. Here it
> is certainly  only in 
> flower in midsummer, being commonly known locally as
> the Christmas tree, 
> a role which it faithfully and beautifully fulfils.
> 
>
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