pohutukawa

• pōhutukawa, pahutukawa

Borrowed from Maori pōhutukawa.

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /poːˈhutukʌwʌ/, /pəˌhuːtəˈkʌːwə/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /pəˌhuːtəˈkɑːwə/

pohutukawa (plural pohutukawa or pohutukawas)

1. A coastal evergreen tree, Metrosideros excelsa, native to New Zealand and producing a brilliant display of red flowers with prominent stamens around Christmastime. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas tree

   • 1984, Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, Virago, published 2024, page 279:

     I found in an old-fashioned garden overlooking the beach and the pohutukawa trees, the mulberry tree with leaves to feed our ‘charges’, and a kindly owner willing to give me supplies of leaves.

   • 2020, Sujit Sivasundaram, Waves Across the South, William Collins, published 2021, page 12:

     On the map, this road ends with the representation of a sacred pōhutukawa tree.