The largest fuchsia species in the world. A tree that wears its colours on its bark. Tree fuchsia grows up to twelve metres in height, with a spreading crown and soft, fibrous bark. But the bark is the story. It peels in thin, papery strips, revealing a colourful underbark that ranges from purple to orange. The tree is a rainbow, a flash of colour in the green forest. A tree that does not hide its true colours. The leaves are oval, toothed, and arranged opposite each other along the branches. They are dark green on top and paler underneath. The flowers are the story – unusual, greenish-purple, hanging from the branches like small lanterns. The flowers turn red when they are ready to be pollinated, a signal to the birds that the nectar is ready. The fruit is small, dark purple, and edible, sweet and juicy. A tree that changes its flowers to say "come here." A tree of the stream bank and the forest edge. Tree fuchsia grows in damp, open areas, along riverbanks, in regenerating forest. It is fast-growing and short-lived, a pioneer of the wet places. The wood of tree fuchsia is soft and waterlogged. Māori used it for making rafts (mōkihi) because it is light and buoyant. The wood was also used for fire-making. The peeling bark was noted for its unusual colours. The berries were eaten fresh. To see a tree fuchsia is to see a tree of colours. The stream bank is damp. The fuchsia grows, bark peeling purple and orange, greenish-purple flowers hanging like lanterns. The birds come. The flowers turn red. The berries ripen. The tree does not know it is beautiful. It just wants to be pollinated.