An Important Plant

Waitangi, Northland. April 2009 Ajr

Kawakawa, Macropiper excelsum or more commonly, the pepper tree, is not to be confused with Horopito, Pseudowintera colorata, which is also commonly known as the pepper tree. Horopito has peppery-tasting leaves but Kawakawa is the one that belongs to the true pepper family - the Piperaceae. Kawa in Maori means bitter, hence the tree’s name in reference to its bitter-tasting leaves. I took this photograph of Kawakawa on a walk through the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on a guided tour with leading guide, Wil Napier, who explained that traditionally, Kawakawa was often used by Maori in an infused tea to flush out the kidneys; or as a treatment for colds and coughs. In fact it had a number of uses in rongoa (traditional medicine). The leaves could be chewed to soothe toothache, stomach problems and indigestion; and the yellow summer berries could be eaten as a diuretic. Tossed on a fire its leaves would create an insect repellent; and leaves were placed over boils, bruises and cuts to accelerate healing. The leaves are also strongly associated with Maori tangi (funerals) and were traditionally used as part of the embalming process. The adornment of greenery is a traditional (and still common) way of expressing mourning for Maori and at a tangi you’ll usually see kuia (older women) wearing kawakawa taua (wreaths) on their heads. The tree’s multiple uses now also include inclusion in a number of commercially available tonics, skincare products and healing balms. Two More Facts: The Kawakawa is closely related to the Polynesian kava plant; and its heart-shaped leaves are frequently filled with holes made by the looper caterpillar (Cleora scriptaria).

A Walk on the Wild Side

Image Courtesy Dart River Jet Safaris

The ancient beech forests of the Dart/Rees Track are believed to be one of the best examples worldwide, of a sub-temperate ecology dating back to prehistoric times. Certainly, when I stand in these dark, remote, moss-covered forests I have a very real sense of what the world may have been like 80 million years ago and I always keep an eye open for approaching dinosaurs. (A figment of my over-active imagination of course but I always think that if a dinosaur is going to appear anywhere, it would be somewhere like this). But if you venture into these parts with the team from Dart River Jet Safaris (owned by Ngai Tahu Tourism), you’ll be introduced to another side of this remarkable place – to the old hunting traditions of early Maori and to the myriad uses they found for many of the forest trees and plants. Take the Horopito for instance - also known as the New Zealand pepper tree – which Maori used to treat stomach ache and diarrhoea. Its leaves are known to stimulate the circulation and because of their antiseptic properties, Maori used them for skin complaints….. first steeping them in water, or chewing them beforehand. Funnily enough, it is now trendy for many New Zealand restaurants to use horopito as a natural spice marinade, or rub for assorted meat cuts. The juvenile stems of Horoeka, or Lancewood – a tree of multiple forms during its lifespan - were used to make spears; and lancewood leaves were pounded to make a brush of sorts that was used in rock painting. www.dartriver.co.nz

Forest Vines

Supplejack on Ulva Island. Feb 2009. Ajr

Meet the impressively-named Rhipogonum scandens, commonly known as supplejack, a New Zealand native vine found in dense bush throughout the country. It is also known to Maori as pirita or kareao and they used its flexible stems to make, among other things, hinaki (eel traps), fish traps, nets and bird cages and taruke (crayfish pots). They also made the vine into a tea, which was used as a tonic for a range of common ailments.

A Treasured Plant

Flax - Phormium tenax. Feb 2009. Ajr

This is harakeke or flax. It is a member of the lily family and has been used by Maori for generations as a vital fibre resource. Long ago Maori often had a pa harakeke, or flax plantation, close to their marae. The roots were used in the concoction of treatments for skin complaints and the older outside leaves were cut and used for weaving. Different species were favoured by different iwi for their strength, softness, colour and fibre content and once the muka (fibre) had been separated from the green flesh with a shell and pounded to make it soft and pliable, it was woven into ropes for bird snares, fishing lines, nets, sandals and clothing. The full leaves, either fresh or dried, were used to make kete (baskets) and other woven items - and still are of course.

Mellow Yellow

Kowhai. 2007. Ajr

Kowhai is the Maori word for yellow. It thus gives its name to the yellow-flowered Kowhai tree – New Zealand’s national flower. Sophora Microphyllais is the most common of the 8 species of NZ Kowhai and the tree - especially the bark and seeds - are poisonous. The tree flowers in a halo of yellow every spring and its flowers attract the kereru (wood pigeon) and the tui, which fly for miles to savour its nectar. According to Maori lore, the spring flowering marks the time for planting kumera (sweet potato); and in early times Maori used the hard durable wood for paddles and adzes; the bark for poultices to dress wounds and tumours; bark infusions for internal pains, bruises and broken limbs; and the wood ash to treat ringworm.