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Story: Tall broadleaf trees

Rewarewa flowers

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Rewarewa flowers

Rewarewa produces bunches of bottle-brush flowers in spring. In bud, the petals are fused together and covered in brownish-red hairs. After the tip of the flower opens to shed its pollen, the four petals split and coil into tight spirals. The female central portion is exposed, giving the flower a spiky appearance. Rewarewa’s fruit is a dry capsule that splits open when ripe, releasing several winged seeds.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10041510

by Dick Veitch

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Tall broadleaf trees – Forest giants, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13736/rewarewa-flowers (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 1 March 2009.