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-green. There are also a number of cultivars. Planting in full sun aids the leaf color to develop. In cool climates, the plant may need to be placed in a sheltered area. They will also grow in semi shade. This genus is closely related to the Australian Lenwebbia which also has four petals and similar though less colourful leaves.

==Species== {| class="wikitable" |- !Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !!Description!!Distribution |- |120px||Lophomyrtus bullata||Ramarama||Evergreen shrub or small tree up to tall.It has glossy, heavily puckered (bullate) leaves and small creamy white flowers in summer that are followed by small, fleshy fruits that mature to a black-red shade. 'Maitai Bay' is a cultivar with especially showy red-brown foliage. ||North Island of New Zealand and in the north of the South Island. |- |120px||Lophomyrtus obcordata||Rōhutu||Grows to around tall but is more tree-like in form. It has very small inversely heart-shaped (petiole at the pointed end) leaves and produces clusters of tiny white flowers in summer that are followed by small dark red to purple-red berries. The cultivars 'Dainty' and 'Microphylla' have pink-tinted leaves.||It occurs throughout New Zealand except for much of Southland. |- |}