This dense-growing tree has a neat, tight canopy of thick, olive-green leaves. Metrosideros x sub-tomentosa ‘Mistral’ produces a profusion of deep rust-red flowers from early to mid-summer, which attract nectar-seeking birds. It is an excellent tough coastal tree that is superb as a screen and also an excellent choice as a street tree. Metrosideros x sub-tomentosa is evergreen and native to New Zealand. Metrosideros x sub-tomentosa is a natural hybrid between Metrosideros excelsa and Metrosideros robusta. Metrosideros x sub-tomentosa ‘Mistral’ was discovered by Graeme Platt in kānuka/mānuka scrub on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, on the ranges east of Coromandel township, on the road from Coromandel to Te Rerenga.