Commonly known as Karo, this native plant is four throughout NZ. Is is often chosen as a coastal plant for its attractive green leaves, fast growth, and high resilience to harsh conditions. It grows to around 3 meters high, at a very fast rate, and can be contained into a hedge form. With it's red flowers that are present throughout spring and early summer, and compact, coastal form, this small tree can often be confused with a young Pohutakawa (Metrosideros excelsa).
Unfortunately this plant is native to northern parts of the North Island of NZ, this has resulted in some problems with more southern plantings. The base of this is that with it's highly resilient, and fast growing nature, the tree replaces the regionally native plants like Harakeke flax (Phormium tenax) and Taupata (Coprosma repens). This process can be seen happening in the photo below. This results in monoculture systems, which could potentially result in problems such as weakened hill slide, as well as having massive influence on the local fauna community.
