Metrosideros umbellata

Metrosideros umbellata, commonly known as southern rātā, is an evergreen tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where its range mainly covers the South and Stewart Islands, while being largely not present in the North Island. M. umbellata individuals are also found in the subantarctic Auckland Islands. M. umbellata's habitat is unrestricted and can occur in many different natural environments, altitudinal ranges and surfaces.

Metrosideros umbellata grows to a height of up to 15 metres (50 feet) with a trunk measuring up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. It has an estimated lifespan of 400–500 years. M. umbellata produces masses of typically scarlet-coloured flowers, typically in summer, from November to February. Its bark is thin, and its outer layers peel off as papery flakes. The nectar-producing flowers of M. umbellata are visited by numerous New Zealand birds, such as, bellbirds, kākā, kea, and tūī. M. umbellata also plays host to numerous fungi species and pathogens.

Metrosideros umbellata was first described by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles in 1797. A cladistic analysis of the genus Metrosideros was conducted in 2021 by Austral Ecology. In their study, they produced a cladogram of the phylogenetic relationships within the genus, and M. umbellata was found to be an "intra-clade isolate", meaning the study could not place the species into a specific subclade (monophyletic subgroup). M. umbellata is unique in the subgenus Metrosideros because its habitat prefers montane forests that experience frost and are dominated by Gondwanan species that were probably inhabited by now-extinct Metrosideros species. M. umbellata's conservation status was assessed by the New Zealand Threat Classification System in 2023 as "Not Threatened".