About Metrosideros operculata Labill.
Metrosideros operculata Labill. is a species of flowering plant in the Myrtaceae family, and it is endemic to New Caledonia. This plant most commonly grows as a shrub reaching up to 3 metres in height; rarely, it grows as a small tree that can reach 10 metres in height. Its stems have a square cross-section and are covered in silky hairs. Its leaves are stiff and pointed, with slightly rolled-back revolute margins, and range in shape from linear to elliptic. The leaves are 12 to 40 millimetres long and 3 to 10 millimetres wide. Its flowers, which can be white, pink, or red, have 3 petals and between 50 and 120 stamens, and they grow in axillary inflorescences. Two varieties are currently recognized: M. operculata var. francii J.W. Dawson, and M. operculata Labill. var. operculata.
