Pseudowintera colorata 'Red Hot' (Horopito) foliage.

Pseudowintera colorata ‘Red Hot’

Horopito

Pseudowintera colorata ‘Red Hot’ is a selection of Pseudowintera colorata that features deeper and more consistent coloring than the typical species. It is an attractive grower with aromatic foliage that is rich-red in color when young, eventually maturing to a yellow-green with red speckles and margins. Due to its unique coloration and appearance, it is an excellent choice for creating a stunning hedge. Pseudowintera colorata is evergreen and native to New Zealand. Pseudowintera colorata ‘Red Hot’ was developed before 2018 by Elliots Wholesale Nursery in Amberley, New Zealand (PVR 34007).

Other common name(s): Pepper Tree

Uses: Hedging and screening

GROWTH HABIT

Foliage Type: Evergreen

See bottom of product page for an explanation of terms.

Height: 3.0m

Width: 2.0m
Estimated 10 year height and width

GROWING CONDITIONS

See bottom of product page for an explanation of terms.

SEASONAL COLOUR

	Foliage	Fruit	Stem	Flower
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Grade

Height (m)

Clear

Pseudowintera colorata ‘Red Hot’ stock information

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Explanation of terms

Chalky soil is alkaline and often contains visible pieces of chalk or limestone. It drains very quickly and can be low in nutrients, making it difficult for many plants to grow unless organic matter is added. Some plants, however, thrive in its free-draining, lime-rich conditions.

Rocky soil contains a high proportion of stones and gravel. It usually drains well but holds very little water or nutrients. Plant roots may struggle to establish, though hardy, drought-tolerant plants can adapt to it.

Sandy soil has large particles that feel gritty to the touch. It drains quickly and warms up fast in spring, but it does not retain moisture or nutrients well. Regular watering and the addition of compost can improve its fertility.

Loamy soil is a balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay. It holds moisture and nutrients well while still allowing excess water to drain, making it ideal for most plants. Loam is generally considered the best all-round soil for gardening and agriculture.

Clay soil is made up of very fine particles and feels smooth or sticky when wet. It retains water and nutrients well but drains poorly and can become compacted. With proper management, such as adding organic matter, clay soil can be very fertile.

Evergreen plants retain foliage year-round but still shed and replace some leaves gradually as part of their normal growth cycle, rather than losing them all at once. Deciduous plants shed all their leaves for part of the year (usually in autumn and winter), usually in response to colder temperatures or dry seasons, often producing seasonal colour before leaf drop. Semi-evergreen plants sit between the two, keeping most of their foliage but losing some or all leaves briefly under cooler or drier conditions before quickly regrowing them.

Globular crowns have a rounded form with vertical and horizontal dimensions being approximately equal. Ovoid crowns are somewhat elliptic, broader at the base than they are at the top, with the vertical axis greatly exceeding the horizontal axis. Obovoid crowns are also somewhat elliptic, with the vertical axis greatly exceeding the horizontal axis but are broader in the upper part of the crown. Conical crowns are approximately triangular in their outline and are broadest at their base. Columnar crowns have a vertical axis that greatly exceeds the horizontal axis but the proportions of the upper and lower crown are similar. Irregular crowns have an asymmetrical and uneven outline. Weeping crowns have strongly pendulous branches. Vase crowns are much broader in the upper crown, which is often relatively flat rather than rounded.

Information sourced from the Tree Species Selection for Green Infrastructure guide produced by the Trees & Design Action Group. Find the guide here: https://www.tdag.org.uk/tree-species-selection-for-green-infrastructure.html

Healthy crowns differ in their density as a function of leaf and branching characteristics. Three categories are used: dense, moderate and open. In some cases, it has been possible to underpin these categories with leaf area index (LAI: leaf area per unit ground area (m² m^-2) data. Dense crowns typically have a LAI of >6m² m^-2, moderate crowns 3-6m² m^-2 and open crowns <3m² m^-2.

The four-level scale, tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately sensitive and sensitive, makes use of a number of sources of information (see the guide below for further information on this).

Regardless of a species’ drought tolerance ranking, the full expression of drought tolerance will only come about in well- established trees. Therefore, the selection of drought tolerant trees should never be seen as a substitute for good post-planting aftercare, such as mulching and irrigation.

Most temperate deciduous trees can cope with several weeks, waterlogging during the period of winter dormancy as metabolic activity is minimal. However, waterlogging during active growth is more serious because roots are more active and require aerobic soils. In general, the more active the growth, the more rapidly the effects of waterlogging can be seen. Factors such as the water oxygenation status and temperature will also affect how acutely waterlogging stress develops so there can be a great deal of variation around how trees experience waterlogging stress.

For this scale, tolerant species can survive consistent waterlogging for the duration of the growing season. Moderately tolerant species can survive consistent waterlogging for approximately one month during the growing season. Moderately sensitive species are only likely to survive if the waterlogging event is less than two weeks during the growing season and sensitive species are only likely to survive if the waterlogging event is less than a few days during the growing season. However, it is important to note that as this scale relates to the likely time-course to tree mortality, symptoms of waterlogging (and associated dysfunction) will be apparent within a shorter period of time.

A species is allocated its shade tolerance rating based on whether they can grow satisfactorily at a certain light availability. The four-level scale used relates approximately to the following light conditions, expressed as a percentage of full sunlight: tolerant (<10% full sunlight); moderately tolerant (10-25% full sunlight); partially tolerant (25-50% full sunlight) and intolerant (>50% full sunlight).

It should be noted that many species towards the more tolerant end of the spectrum often perform better in slightly higher light levels than their tolerance rating suggests, however, it is generally unrewarding to plant moderately tolerant or tolerant trees in fully open (high-light) environments. It should also be acknowledged that, for many larger species, shade tolerance diminishes somewhat with age. This is because a tree’s need for shade tolerance is typically reduced as it becomes established within the forest canopy. Therefore, the allocated ratings are most closely related to young trees of the species and not fully mature specimens.