A Favoured Tree

Small Cabbage Tree in Flower. Arts Centre, Christchurch. Nov. 2009 Ajr

Ti Kouka = Cabbage Tree
(From the Cordyline family)
The cabbage tree has always had a favoured place in traditional Maori life. Its leaves are tough – much tougher than flax – and they were dried and used to make bird snares, roof thatching and sandals for the feet. The root, the pith of the trunk and the sweet sap are all edible and because of their prolific distribution, the trees provided a ready and abundant food source. It is still said that if the cabbage trees flower early in spring, we’re in for a long, hot, dry summer. The cabbage tree is also incredibly hardy and resilient and if you cut it back – even severely – it sprouts vigorous new growth. (This is just happened to the large cabbage tree in my garden. It was recently topped quite harshly because it was interfering with power lines and already, just a few months on, it has several lush new bunches of leaves). This capacity to regenerate is referred to in the old Maori proverb: “Ka whiti te ti, ka wana te ti, ka rito te ti – When a cabbage tree is broken it shoots up, and grows a new head of leaves.”

Leaf Prints

I photographed these 'leaf castings' in Cathedral Square. There are about ten of them cast into the base of Neil Dawnson's 'Chalice,' each depicting one of the native trees, ferns or plants of the Christchurch area.

Forest Giants

This is a photo I took of Tane Mahuta – Lord of the Forest, in Waipoua Kauri Forest in the Far North of New Zealand. Thought to be in the vicinity of 2,000 years old, Tane Mahuta has a girth of 13.77 metres, a 58 foot trunk and is 168 feet tall in total. Kauri (Agathis australis), normally live longer than 600 years and many exceed 1,000 years old.

Sadly, over 90% of the kauri forested areas of New Zealand standing before 1000 AD was destroyed by 1900. The far north of Northland is now home to the largest kauri forest stands. They are among the most ancient trees in the world and they were always important to Maori – who gave the large specimens personal names. Kauri was especially favoured as a timber for carving, building and canoe-making because of its toughness and durability. The grey, smooth bark could also be peeled off in large sheets and used in a number of ways; and kauri gum was used as a chewing gum.

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).

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.

When a Cabbage is a Tree

Cabbage Trees, Banks Peninsular 2007 Ajr
Cordyline australis - Ti Kouka in Maori and the common cabbage tree to most New Zealanders – is commonly considered a member of the lily family; one of the largest tree lilies in the world in fact. Yet it is not quite a lily; it’s not a palm; it’s definitely not a cabbage and it’s not really a tree. I have a large one in my garden and while it’s an attractive tree, I hate the way it sheds its leaves all over my garden. Made of a very tough non-composting fibre, they won’t rot away in the compost heap, so I tie them in tight bundles and use them as kindling. They make excellent kindling. The early Maori also recognised the toughness of the leaf fibre and used it for making kete (baskets) bird snares, ropes and cords. They also made kauru (a sweet chewable food) from the roots of young cabbage trees; and early European settlers used the roots for brewing “a tolerable beer.” I loved this pair of cabbage trees, photographed just beneath Monument Rock, above Purau Bay on Banks Peninsular.