Category Archives: Trees and Shrubs

Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Rewarewa- (from Gil Roper’s writings)

Rewarewa NZ Honeysuckle, Knightia excelsa A member of the protea family, the conical, vertical columns ascend 30 metres into the canopy layer and often above it. There are several tall trees in Redwood Bush with abundant seedlings growing. The leathery, elongated, dark green juvenile leaves have a prominent mid-rib and marginal teeth, and these leavesContinue reading “Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Rewarewa- (from Gil Roper’s writings)”

Busy potting up time in the nursery!

Recently a working bee was held at the Friends of Tawa bush nursery (by the Menz Shed in Oxford Street) and a great number of seedlings were potted on! Joanne advises that 125 Kōhūhū (black matipo), 60 Tītoki, 47 Tōtara, 31 Rewarewa  and 20 Kahikatea were all potted up, ready for their next growing phaseContinue reading “Busy potting up time in the nursery!”

Forest of Tawa Planting Session

Following on from planting 1000 trees in Takapu Valley in June, the Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves held another planting session at the top of Forest of Tawa on Sunday 14 July. Joining Friends of Tawa Bush members, in the planting were representatives of the Ohariu Green Party, Port Nicholson Rotary Club, Port Nicholson Rotaract,Continue reading “Forest of Tawa Planting Session”

Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Whauwhaupaku, five finger, Pseudopanax arboreus & Patē, seven finger, Schefflera digitata – (from Gil Roper’s writings)

These are both common trees in the understorey layer. Though similar in appearance, they can be distinguished by their leaf texture and their leaf margins. Although the names imply seven or five leaflets respectively, this number can vary. The texture of five-finger leaves is thicker and leathery with a glossy appearance and well-defined teeth atContinue reading “Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Whauwhaupaku, five finger, Pseudopanax arboreus & Patē, seven finger, Schefflera digitata – (from Gil Roper’s writings)”

Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Kōwaowao, pāraharaha, hound’s tongue, Microsorium pustulatum(from Gil Roper’s writings)

Kōwaowao, Microsorium pustulatum spreads over the ground using creeping horizontal stems (rhizomes) from which erect fronds grow out and extend upwards. The glossy, lime green, leathery fronds will often be on tree trunks when the rhizomes have extended their growth upwards from the ground to form an epiphyte on the tree. At maturity, the undersidesContinue reading “Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Kōwaowao, pāraharaha, hound’s tongue, Microsorium pustulatum(from Gil Roper’s writings)”

Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Mokimoki, fragrant fern, Microsorium fragrans (from Gil Roper’s writings)

Source of names: The genus Micro is from the Greek mikrós meaning ‘small’, while sorium refers to the ‘sori’ that appear as raised brown, powdery mounds on the underside of mature fronds. Sori produce clusters of sporangia and when mature, as they dry out, the sporangia fling out an abundance of spores for reproduction. TheContinue reading “Know the native flora in Tawa reserves – Mokimoki, fragrant fern, Microsorium fragrans (from Gil Roper’s writings)”

Know the native trees in Tawa reserves with Gil Roper – Brachyglottis repanda, Rangiora

Source of names: Rangiora is a member of the Aster family of plants (Asteraceae) and includes asters, daisies and sunflowers. Brachyglottis  means ‘short tongue’ and refers to the small size of the ray florets within the flowers. The species name repanda means ‘undulating edges’ and refers to the margins of the broad leaves. The MāoriContinue reading “Know the native trees in Tawa reserves with Gil Roper – Brachyglottis repanda, Rangiora”

Public Redwood Bush walk, hosted by FOTBR on 4 December 2022

It was such a pleasure to go on this guided walk the other day! The weather was perfect for a wee walk in the bush, and boy did we learn a lot along the way. Gil Roper is a fount of knowledge on the history and plants in this area and we were really luckyContinue reading “Public Redwood Bush walk, hosted by FOTBR on 4 December 2022”

Have you sighted the flowering rātā tree from Takapu Road?

This remaining northern rata was one of many trees of this species, along with rimu trees that dominated the native bush in the Tawa area at the time of European settlement from the 1840s onwards. It’s probably the largest remaining northern rātā in the wider Tawa region. However, trees were felled for local use andContinue reading “Have you sighted the flowering rātā tree from Takapu Road?”