Rewarewa grows to 30 m tall, with a slender crown.[4] The leaves are alternate, leathery, narrow oblong, 10 – 15 cm long and 2.5 - 3.5 cm wide, and without stipules. The flowers are 2 - 3.5 cm long, bright red, and borne in racemes 10 cm long. Produces dry woody follicles.
It was called New Zealand honeysuckle by early European settlers but the name has fallen into disuse in preference for the Māori name. Rewarewa flowers are a great source for honey production.
The rewarewa is noted for its timber, which is handsomely figured for interior work although not durable in exposed situations.[5]
^Meylan, BA; BG Butterfield (1973). "Scanning Electron Micrographs of New Zealand Woods 2. Knightia excelsa R.Br". New Zealand Journal of Botany. XI: 201–12. doi:10.1080/0028825x.1973.10430273.
^Metcalf, L. J. (Lawrence James) (2011). The cultivation of New Zealand trees and shrubs (Rev. and updated ed.). Auckland, N.Z.: Raupo. ISBN9780143565611. OCLC753700257.
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