Rewarewa

Rewarewa grows to 30 metres (100 feet) tall, with a slender crown. The leaves are alternate, leathery, narrow oblong, 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) long and 2.5–3.5 cm (0.98–1.38 in) wide, and without stipules. The flowers are 2–3.5 cm (0.79–1.38 in) long, bright red, and borne in racemes 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Produces dry woody follicles.

Rewarewa flower nectar is a major food source for many New Zealand native birds and is also attractive to geckos and the lesser short-tailed bat.

Rewarewa is a traditional resource in Māori culture. The wood was used for posts in rivers and to create palisade walls, and it has uses in traditional waka crafting, where a slow burning trunk of the wood can be placed inside a tree to more easily hollow out the centre. The nectar is also a traditional Māori food source.

The etymology (word origin) of rewarewa's genus, Knightia, is named in honour of British horticulturalist Thomas Andrew Knight. The specific epithet (second part of the scientific name), excelsa, means 'elevated' or 'tall'. The Māori language name rewarewa derives from the Proto Nuclear Polynesian term *Lewa, primarily used to describe Cerbera odollam and other members of the Cerbera genus in Polynesian languages. It was called New Zealand honeysuckle by early European settlers, but the name has fallen into disuse in preference for the Māori name.