Clianthus maximus, kowhai ngutu-kaka, or kaka beak is endemic to the North Island, and formerly found on Great Barrier Island. It is present in scattered populations from the East Coast of the North Island from Te Araroa south to the northern Hawkes Bay and east to the Te Urewera National Park. This Nationally Critical plant is a rare (common in cultivation) small bushy shrub 1.5-6m tall with soft woody, "watery" stems that are easily broken. Its branchlets are semi-erect to weakly ascending, often decurved. It has leaves with many pairs of leaflets  that are glossy on the upper leaf surface, and arranged along a central stalk. It has red sharp-tipped drooping flowers up to 80mm long, followed by green pea-like seed pod that splits releasing the numerous hard small blotched seeds. It may flower throughout the year, but however plants are mostly found to flower between August and January. Kaka beak is vulnerable to a range of common garden pests which include slugs and snails, it can be severely defoliated, by these animals, and young plants may be killed completely. Caterpillars, mites - which cause witches brooms, and various fungal diseases will also kill plants. To combat these problems grow plants in fertile, well drained, sunny sites free from surrounding shrubs. Despite its northerly distribution, kaka beak often does best in Southland, and is very tolerant of snowfall, and light frosts. Though more widespread than Clianthus puniceus this species is now at a very serious risk of extinction. Only 153 mature plants are known from the wild and at all sites they are threatened by a diverse range of introduced browsing animals, diseases, and natural senescence. Many populations occur in low scrub where they are threatened by fire, weed control operations, natural succession, and the unstable, erosion prone nature of the habitats in which they grow.