WEALTH OF THE WILD

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

WEALTH OF THE WILD

MAORI NATURE NOTES / ■■■ ■.' ■ ’ '■ '■ .■ ■■ ( ('By J.H.S.—Copyright.) - The Mountain Daisy— The tikumu (sitting .posture) is the beautiful mountain daisy sitting in the rock crevices of the steep hiH-sid.es. 1 has . white flowers on the stems up to , two feet resembling an.aster, and point-, ed leaves a foot long springing from Die root, often gray coloured or with nne silky hairs of varied hues. These yel- , vety coatings are said to provide against the loss of moisture when the plant grows on a dry rocky surface. When transplanted to lower levels the leaves of some lose their hairy covering, and with it half, their /beauty. The sheaths of . the ’leaves have a ; leather-like surfaces to'hold the, rain .or .dew, 'anj. thus s enable-.the plant to thrive without root 'moisture.;- There are; many varieties, each" with" ..remarkable adaptability : to/ ; its Situation, :. ’i< J ‘ 1 For a rockery the foliage and bloom jnake a striking contrast with other plants, and in appearance will vary with the surroundings. For their ros-ette-like bloom mountain daisies are well.worth cultivating. The Rapahina— - . . .■ Rapahina is translated 'by a fanciful; Maori as “the spirit of the moon sought on the cliffs hy an ardent lover!” But • one should not question a Maori when a true answer is sought, for he will reply according to the questioner, what he thinks would please./-. This pretty ryhite . flowering plant, with flax like leaves two feet in length, covered the banks of the hill streams along the (Paekakariki ranges; ;but t the beautiful rock'lily.. : in full bloom, wlien it was most sought by vandal- visitors, ■ was not easily transplanted, so one more beauty of 'the hills has almost disappeared. , {A The’ name Rapahina probably refers to the' pretty grey hairy stamens which ' are. sought by honey loving insects. The .mystery-mongering .■ old. tohunga. ■ ga,ve:. ■the' plant miraculous, medical virtues; ■ 'but. it is apparently a poison .dangerous to ■ untutored ■ man. /The . instinct df > wandering animals -warned them never to;touch it. ; . >t • The Common Orchid— " ’ . ( ' 1 The maikaika (a heap) or mauuku (clinging) is one of -the commonest of ■our New Zealand orchids. It is an • upright flower arid lias stalks with blu- . ish flowers which open when the sun ir well up, and fold up neatly before it ’ sets. In mist or the approach of raid : thev. close completely, to preserve .;tJw . pollen fdr' their welcome insect guest*,. ’ which may thus carry it intact to the' , other vicarious' parent." On the, other, ! hand, this particular- plant is said, fre- \ quently/ to perform, that mysterious ’ function of self T°B’^ tion > •’ •known .only in plant life, and .then but- i to few. ..: .. .■ • ‘ j The ■ orchid is said by. Darwin to be ; i '"■provided with a special apparatus which tends to restrict the practice of self, pollination. Bees and other insects are; attracted by imitative forms, and by colour 'arid scent. " The Maori esteemed., the; tuberous root as, a- .welcome addition : •to his : restricted'-dietary. (. There- are. said to be 5200 varieties in the world; , yet .always -new ones are sought and (prized, '' The Rare Puka— The puka (flat surface) (-is. a plari.fc of which Kew gardens in England, have one of the very few surviving specimens in the world. Its leaves, measuring 16 .by 10 inches, are larger than those of any other New Zealand plant. ..It was first found on one of our small rocky islands by Dr. 'Sinclair. The Maoris ; transplanted ands cultivated a fine specimen on the mainland in the far north, where, it was effectively protected by a sacred formula and made -“tapu,” until a.Pakeha naturalist gathered the fruit for seed, when the tree , was religiously destroyed - in accord with Maori karakia. It is due of . the rarest plants ; iri the. • world, and should be specially cared for in its birthplace. - ‘ Another plant of the same name i» quite common, but has much smaller ■ leaves. It is a vigorous (climber 4 in forest where it reaches upward for sunlight; but as a shrub or a hedge plant in the open it shows no sign of the climbing propensity •of its wild days. The Punui—- • ■ [ . • ■ [The punui (a great heap)/'is a hand-/ some-plant of unusual appearahce grow‘‘ing mostly 'aniong": the 1 small .islands off the northern shores of New Zea- ' land.. It has round leaves about twelve ; inches in ’diameter in. which.; the-veins and rich shades of dark green show to advantage. ( The flower, is' in. masses,' yellow tinged ? with purple. For the , foliage alone it is cultivated as a pot plant, but;the receptacle -is: generally .a; ■ hogshead. It loves • the • warnith of &■■• conservatory. .In Fprmqsa, art ..paperis made from the- white-,pith of a; similar v ■plant. Another use for .this showy pith . is' in making artificial flowers of the .best quality. f •'.'/; . , . ; Tlie berry ,1? the size.'of a pea, and. . when ripening shows changes in the ■ colouring of its shiny surface. All New Zealand varieties growing in. this coiin- . try are endemic. j v The White Convolvulus — The pohue (growth of a night), the , delicate pure; white beU/shaped; cont vulvulus, with, its dark pointed.’shield , ; shaped leaves, forms a perfect background .of beauty on a wall or fence where a bitumen path is the only bar to . its persistent growth/ ’lt ria the curse of every gardener, and', where -■ it once , gets a grip it will eventually ■ strangle his choice plants, either-by' taking full charge under the surface, or by choking them in a-twining grip. Its white tender tubers formed a, staple article of diet to the Maori who/had some process now unknown of eliminating the poison whidh this and.-the English, bindweed possess in common. It completely disappears from the surface in winter but is very much. aliye : below. The pink pohue is rarer but equally beautiful. The seed in this country, lacking the sphinx moth, is generally infertile; but the roots supply the growth. -■' ■■(< " The Taurepo—■ ; " ■ " ■> ’ The- taurepo (the swamp side) is rapidly growing rarer. 5 For every garden lover/the blossom proclaims it to be one of the gloxina family, prized for its many hued and rich bell shaped flowers in English .‘greenhouses. It is of .trorpi- / cal origin, but is now known, all over the world. The foliage and growth of our only representative of this large family is 'quite different from other known species. The plant,is about two feet high with .hard hairy ?tem and twigs and leaves perfectly round, toothed and veined, ; ' -1