Meanings
plural pohutukawas · alternative pōhutukawa · alternative pahutukawa
- A coastal evergreen tree, Metrosideros excelsa, native to New Zealand and producing a brilliant display of red flowers with prominent stamens around Christmastime.First known use 19th c.
On the map, this road ends with the representation of a sacred pōhutukawa tree.
2020, Sujit Sivasundaram, Waves Across the South, William Collins, published 2021, page 121 more example
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.
1984, Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, Virago, published 2024, page 279Synonyms: Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas tree
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA coastal evergreen tree, Metrosideros excelsa, native to New Zealand and producing a brilliant display of red flowers with prominent stamens around Christmastime.
Origin
- Māoripōhutukawa
- Englishpohutukawa
Borrowed from Māori pōhutukawa.
More words from Māori
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish maorihehkupuu
- maorihehkupuuMetrosideros excelsa
Polish metrosideros wyniosły
- metrosideros wyniosłyMetrosideros excelsa
Cite this entry
pohutukawa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pohutukawa
“pohutukawa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pohutukawa. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pohutukawa,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pohutukawa.
Source: pohutukawa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.