Metrosideros fulgens

Metrosideros fulgens, sometimes called scarlet rata vine or aka, is a woody evergreen climbing rata in the family Myrtaceae endemic to New Zealand. It is the only Metrosideros species in the country that flowers in autumn rather than summer. Young plants begin life as forest-floor seedlings and then climb tall host trees using short adventitious roots, eventually forming thick woody stems reaching the canopy. The opposite leaves are leathery, oblong to elliptic, glossy dark green above and paler below. From February to May the vine produces masses of brilliant orange-red to scarlet flowers in terminal clusters, each flower with numerous long showy stamens that give the inflorescence a brush-like appearance. The flowers are an important nectar source for native birds and insects. The fruit is a small woody capsule that splits to release many tiny wind-dispersed seeds. It occurs in lowland and lower montane forests of the North Island and northern South Island.