THE MERCILESS RAT

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1930, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE MERCILESS RAT

TREE NOT A PAR ASH’S

(ffy

“Arbora.”)

Old beliefs are said to die hard. Bj way of illustration one might .refer to the interesting myth ; that the . New Zealand rata of the gorgeous crimson blooms commences its life as a creeping parasite. _ " ' ' .. Actually the true ratas, both rnetrosidcros l.ucida and metrosideros robusta, are of the same order (myrta'ceae) a® the so-called ra.ta-vine, or metrosideros florida, but there is really little resem'blance; There is more likeness, boiUh to. the untrained eye and, to' the botanist, between the rata and its cousin, the pohutakawa, than between the rata and- the vine which sometimes masquerades under the same name. ' ' .The tree found dead in or near a giant rata tree was not necessary tq its growth. It was only an incident in the life of . the rata, .which proved, the stronger under nature’s eternal system of -the survival of the fittest;" The one-time belief, subscribed to even by ’ bushmeri, was . that the vine grew up some tree; Lightened its embrace upon it and gradually itself grew info-a larger tree. That, of course, is quite erronedUs 1 for the vine is never more than a vine while its cousins, the true ratas, are among the largest of New Zealand’s indigenous trees. . •- .. A circumstance that was, and indeed ■still id, advanced as a proof of the rata’s supposed parasitic growth is the fact that very frequently a dead tree is found practically enclosed in a living rata. To' understand how this occurs one iffust realise that the seeds of the rata are dustlike in their minuteness and ate almost invariably blown into -the air,icoming to rest in the fork at the top of the trunk of an adjacent tree. Here the seeds germinate, deriving sustenance from the rotting bark and leaves among which, they have fallen. When this food supply gives out the itiny tree, high aloft, stretches aerial roots groundwards. Gradually these roots take hold and grow apace, until they lose any characteristics of roots* that'they may have once possessed and, uniting, form one trunk of great size. It som'etiriies happens that the roots are forced aside by big branches. -Then latcrdl shoots spring out to join them. ‘Laterals and roots alike coalesce and, exerting a tremendous pressure, gradually kill the tree round which they are growing, this in time being perhaps, completely encased. Not .infrequently, however, the rata does not kill- its foster parent, or even seriously . iiiterfere with its growth, That hapSp'eiis when the older tree is growing on d slant, the . two forming'a cross. ' . '

Only one tree in New Zealand can withstand the iron embrace of metrosideros robusta and that is the puriri, vitex littoralis. All others, if they become entangled with a rata, slowly but siir’ely are squeezed to death. While mentioning puriris and. ratas in the one breath it is opportune' to remember that, these trees, producing some of the toughest and strongest of timber, are unfortunately of low' commercial value. The puriri is riddled by a' destructive grub, and the rata is twisted and tangled 'by its peculiar growth. The contrast between these and the kauri, whose straight grain is mathematically accurate, •is striking. The majority of New Zealaiil trees produce timber that is readily injlable.

The correct term for tS:e rata which has its berth high in the tree-tops is not parasite but epiphyte, and all ratas are not even that. Quite a number grow from the ground, though these 'terrestial specimens do not usually flourish as well, in Home cases, by the irony-of nature, 'being starved by neighbouring trees.

are of the same order (myrtaceae) as .the first naturalist to compile a work of In an interesting comparison Dr. Kirk, the first naturalist to compile a work- of -reference on New Zealand flora, points out some essential differences between the vine (floridai. and the tree (robusta). The former is a climber, never more than six inches in-diameter. while • the latter is an erect tree, attaining a girth of twelve feet and sometimes more. The leaves of the vine are at least three inches in length, those bf the tree never exceeding .two. A difference which may mean little to the layman, lie’s in the fruit. The species florida has the capsule completely enclosed in the woody calyx tube while the robusta has a capsule twice the length of the calyx tube, which ds not woody. , v ’ ’ '. The true ratas have very strongs tough and hard wood, known to the bushmen of the early days as “ironwood.” Naturally owing to. the peculiar growth of the majority, the timber is hard to mill, though for short lengths they afford valuable material, being second only to puriri for cross-arms etc. Another u<se, somewhat antique now) is for, shipbuilding, as crooks and. pieces of all shapes can be obtained; Their cousin, the pohutakawa, is the most suitable tree for this class of work; It is as firewood, however, that rata is chiefly used and better wood fuel it is difficult to procure. In common with all the myrtaceae the ratas are noted for their brilliant crimson blooms. A rare specimen of . the southern, rata is sometimes' found with golden flowers. Like most of our big forest trees, 'whose growth’ is slow compared with that of exotics, the ratas are diminishing in number. In many private gardens one may find rimus, the glorious drooping foliage-'of which make them prized in their ornamental use almost as much as for their timber. Groves of totaras are to be found in the middle of pastures, in parts of New Zealand, as well as in their natural environment. Kauris are grown quite extensively in parks and reserves. A particularly fine, though young, specimen is to be found in the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch. These three can be planted. So can the rata, but, as pointed out earlier, the rata, as a terresfial sapling, does not prosper to its fullest extent. In fact; it is scarcely a rata.