''Lophomyrtus obcordata'', also known as rōhutu or tutuhi, is a species of evergreen myrtle shrub in the genus ''

Lophomyrtus ''Lophomyrtus'' is a genus of the myrtle family described as a genus in 1941. The entire genus is endemic to New Zealand. It consists of evergreen shrubs or trees, noted for their colorful leaves, which are purple, chocolate, red or bronze-gree ...

'', family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

. It is found throughout

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, usually in lowland forest and forest edges. ''Lophomyrtus obcordata'' grows to a height of , producing many branches closely packed together. The leaves are wide by 5–10 mm long, with a very distinctive notch at the end making them heart shaped, There are oil glands on the underside of the leaves. ''Lophomyrtus obcordata'' has white flowers in summer. The berries range in colour from red to dark red to black, are in diameter, and ripen in summer to autumn. ''Lophomyrtus obcordata'' will easily hybridise with '' L. bullata'' (ramarama), the only other species in the genus. This has given rise to a number of cultivars with interesting foliage variations that are sold commercially. Propagation is usually by semi-hardwood cutting, or by seed. The wood is red coloured, very dense and hard, and has been used for small dimension inlay work.

References

Flora of New Zealand Myrtaceae {{Myrtaceae-stub