New Zealand Christmas tree (pōhutukawa)

Pōhutukawa is a spreading evergreen tree from coastal New Zealand with thick, leathery oblong leaves that are dark green above and pale, felted grey-white beneath, and trunks that often trail curtains of reddish aerial roots. It is widely planted in mild oceanic climates such as the Azores, where it lines squares and seafronts and bursts into crimson bottlebrush-like flowers in early summer.

• Its scarlet flowers appear around December in New Zealand, which is why it is called the Christmas tree there.
• Aerial roots hanging from the trunk can reach the ground and thicken into extra supporting trunks.
• It tolerates salt spray and can root straight into coastal cliffs and lava rock.

Care
Give it full sun, free-draining soil and shelter from hard frost; it handles wind and sea salt but dislikes cold, wet winters.