OUR NATIVE FLORA.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 23

OUR NATIVE FLORA.

A BOTANIST'S JOTTINGS. A LORD OF THE SEASHORE. (MARGUERITE \V. CROOKES, M.A.) '. "When 1 see our noble pohutukawa in J full lilonm about our seashores, a mass lot scarlet glory dinging against a steep 'and barren clilT fact', or flaunting its i brilliant blooms against a background I (if h«'l>or green, or standing a splendid land sturdy sentinel where some pretty : bushlaiid creek comes rippling o;it U p On I lie Ivadi, I find myself entirely in sympathy with a certain Maori chieftain, who sailed over to New Zealand long ago. On Hearing the shores and 'seeing the pohutukawas in full bloom ! along lite cliffs, he flung his headdress nf ! scarlet feathers into the sea, declaring that such things were of no account in th's wonderful land, where adornments far mure beautiful grew wild upon the trees. i The pohutukawa is indeed the most resplendent of a family famed for its brilliance and beauty—the rata family. ■ There are altogether eleven different species of rata in New Zealand. But .there is so much to be said about them, ■ they are so interesting and beautiful, and I the -Maoris have so many picturesque i legends and associations connected with I them that in the present article I must ■ confine myself to a discussion of the jtree ratas. The rataa belong to a branch iof the myrtle family known as Metero- : sideros, which somewhat alarming ivord ihas the very appropriate meaning of I "iron hearted." Any bushman or carj penter who has done work with the .rata can testify to the accuracy of tho description. The Maori name for our J Christmas tree means "splashed by the j spray,' , which is certainly a very fitting I title for it. For pohutukawa is not only Jat times splashed by the spray but in I some cases parts of its lower branches may be actually submerged. Indeed I have heard of oysters being picked from them, though I should hardly recommend them as a likely place for oyster enthusiasts. One would scarcely think that barren i cliffs and a salty atmosphere would be jan ideal station, but our pohutukawa loves the exposed cliff face and the tang of the salt so much that it is never found far inland. It" we compare the leaves of pohutukawa with those of lan inland rata, we shall understand at jonce why it is better lilted for the I seashore. The backs of the leaves of I inland ratas are green but those of the pohutukawa are white. But, one might say, why should a white-backed leaf be I any more comfortable on the seashore I that a green backed one '! The reason is i apparent when we realise that the i whiteness is due to the presence of 'minute hairs which form a protective covering and defend the tree from any I bad effect through salt in air or spray. I But why should a tree protect the under j surface of its leaves rather than the upper? The answer is that it is from the under surface of the leaves that evaporation takes place. Now if the plant loses too much water through j evaporation it is injured and as the I presence of salt tends to cause undue evaporation the tree protects itself in the manner described. This accounts for the tree"s scientific name, Meterosideros tonicntosa. The sound name simply means downy and refers to the hairs on the backs of the leaves. The branches of pohutukawa are spreading and twisted and its roots fantastic and extensive—-a great advantage to a tree growing in an exposed position. The Maoris turned the strong and twisted branches to advantage as they sometimes used them for anchors for their canoes, the character of the branching making them useful for obtaining a hold and their great strength enabling them to retain it. It seems a pity that so noble a tree should be confined to the North Island. But our friends in the south are not entirely without comfort, for they , possess the beautiful shining rata I Meterosideros lucida) which in a good season will turn the lower slopes of the Southern Alps into a mass of scarlet flame, and give an added magnificence and wonder to the beautiful Otira Gorge. The shining rata, which is also found in the North, sometimes grows to a height of sixty foot. As with all the ratas its leaves come out exactly I opposite each other on the stem and are ' somewhat leathery. They vary in length from one to three* and a-half inches and are pointed at both ends; their surface is smooth and shining giving the plant its name. I But although we share the shining ! rata with our southern friends, the . same cannot be said of its more celej brated, not to say, notorious brother, the northern rata. However our friends in the south may console themselves with the thought that it may be regarded as by far the most immoral member of its family, and indeed one of the most unprincipled trees in the New Zealand bush. The northern rata has the apt name of Meterosideros robusta, which means literally "the strong iron heart." That it amply justifies its name many New Zealand trees have found to their cost. Indeed were it not for mixing one's metaphors it might be described as the cuckoo of the ratas on account of the exceedingly overbearing and ungrateful way in which it conducts itself in regard to the unfortunate tree that has assisted it in its youth. The seeds of the northern rata, like those of the other members of its family, are light and easily blown

about by the wind. At length one of i them will fii,d lodgment in the branches of a tree and start to grow. At first the young rata seeme just an innocent perching plant, but after a while its sinister intentions become apparent. As it grows it sends down roots towards tlie ground, and as they develop they scud out branch roots which clasp the unfortunate tree which lias sheltered it. Years pass and the rata flourishes, sending its crown of shining green leaves up into the light and its great j root morn firmly into the soil. Then the M n'ggle begins. As the rata waxes its inexorable grip tightens on its victim till at last the kindly tree lies broken and strangled iin its grasp. All this time it continues t<l grow apace till it eventually becomes a beautiful tree of 100 feet, from which ; majestic height it apparently enjoys 1 the fror.M air and sunshine with a clear j conseier.c?. j The nnstake that sopie people make :of believing that the rata strangles its . victims with its stem is very easy to I understand. One generally has the ' feeling that a plant lias no business to have its roots above gruund. Also one thinks of a climber as something that climbs up. But northern rata does not I climb up into a tree. In the first pi 1,0 jit gets blown up, then it proceeds to I climb down—much to the embarrassf ment of its living refuge. I am glad to ; say that the northern rata is (he only one which behaves in this unkind way. All the other members of the family are highly respectable and law-abiding dwellers in the plant community, as has been shown in a previous article. I wish I had space to deal with all the legends and associations the ratas i had for the Maoris, hut perhaps I might conclude with a particularly picturesque belief they had about an old pohutukawa (of which only the stump now remains) that once overhung the ocean at Cape Bcinga. In the old days, the spirits of the dead would travel swiftly along the land until they came to the farthest limit of the North Island, Cape Reinga, where on the outermost point of the wild and rugged headland I stood a giant pohutukawa with a great j branch overhanging the sea. Below the long sinuous brown kelps coiled and swirled forever about the mouth of a weird cavern called Hautnu, the gloomy entrance to the lower world. When the I spirits reacli«; the lonely pohutukawa •it was to the overhanging limb of this ! tree so symbolical of sunshine ami the j bounteous earth that they clung awhile j before passing to the gloomy kingdom lof Keinga. Then when they might no I longer delay they took tlieir last look upon (lie world of men, and plunging downward through the cavern passed ! forever from the light of day.