Native Trees Native Trees This is a PowerPoint on some native trees.

Akeake Key facts The Akeake tree grows up to 4 metres tall. It can grow up to 1 metre in a year. In about 3 years time, it blooms flowers and has seeds. It prefers loose soil and can withstand salt spray. Its seeds are hard. Background history It was discovered in the 1890’s in Wairua River. The original Akeake trees of Wairua River no longer survive because they were washed away in a flood. The female seeds fall out of their seedpods in February. Uses in the real world The seed pods are used for special purposes. Since its woods is dense and strong, Maori used it to make weapons. Akeake is easily planted with its seed, which can be found at the end of summer.

Horoeka The young trees have no branches and are as straight as a horse men's spare. But the young leaves change completely when it grows. The centre strip of the young leaves are used as bootlaces. The leaf design is based on the leaf of mature lancewood. The young leaves are long and narrow and over a metre length! The birds love to eat the fruits on the tree. When the tree are adult trees the leaves are more shorter than the young tree leaves There are three species of lancewood, all of them are called horoeka Maori. lancewood is common plant throughout low land. Plants are either male or female just like us humans!

Puriri The Puriri tree was first found in It can go up to 20 meters tall and it has a trunk that can grow up to 15m in a diameter. Puriri is one of the few native trees with large colourful flowers. Puriri flowers look like snapdragon flowers. The flower has two petals and four long male parts of the flower. Some flowers can be found on the Puriri all year! The fruit is bright red. The tree is found in the top half on the North Cake. Puriri rich areas were burned to have good farm lands. It provides food source for wild life and it makes fruit and nectar. It also provides a year of food for birds. Puriri is the only New Zealand tree that has hard wood, which can make furniture and ships. The wood is quite tuff. The tree produces flowers and fruit almost every year. Its bright red berries are loved by birds. Some places of the Puriri trees have finger sized holes where the fat caterpillars made their homes. The bard was provided by early Maori with a source of yellow two colour flax for weaving. The Puriri tree has a special moth for the tree.

Taraire This tree grows up to 22 meters and has a very big top section. The bark is dark brown and smooth and the branches tend to spread very wide. The dark green leaves grow up to millimetres wide. Its leaf stems are 8-12 millimetres long. The fruit of the Taraire tree is a favourite to the NZ pigeon. The purple fruit is covered in a waxy bloom. The fruit contains 1 seed in every berry. The fruit ripens between March and November. The Taraire only occurs in the North Island and it is also most common to the north of Auckland. The wood of the Taraire is used for flooring, furniture, picture frames and fire wood. The large cooked seeds were eaten by early Maori and when they were roasted they tasted like potato.

Photos The first one on the one beside it is the Horoeka. The one on the bottom left is the left is the Akeake tree. Puriri. The last one is the Taraire.

By Kai Wei, Hannah, Flora, Elena and Jyun

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