MAORI NATURE LORE

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1931, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAORI NATURE LORE

PLANT, FERN AND TREE

(By

J.H.S.

—Copyright.)

A Botanical Freak. — The toatoa or the mountain variety of the tanekaha is an interesting study in botanical freaks. It is said to grow no true leaves but only flattened green branches in clusters at the points. As with its sister of the plain, the branches are regularly placed on the stem. The wood is tough, straight and light. The . wily old tohunga had a secret ..process by which he produced a tokotoko or staff from a tqatoa sapling made tapu when growing. The proof of its sacred nature lay in the mottled crimson stains showing through the bark, and the secret was to 'bruise the stem when young, and thus cause these tannic acid stains to appear. The seeds are difficult to germinate, so the Master Gardener of All causes the tips of the lowest four branches to “layer’’ .themselves, and thus grow into four fresh trees. Old Maoris declare that in their rare visits to the , top of the ranges in search of fresh birds for food they, often found two such circles, one within the other, with the big father tree in the centre, all nine joined -root to branch. Tipau.— The tipau, meaning to wander, is one branch of a very numerous family which the name mapau or inatipo is often applied by the Maori who speaks only in general terms. Long, narrow, handsome foliage" grows from the tips of the branches below which the tiny white flowers edver the bare stemsThese are succeeded by an abundant crop of red berries nearly an inch in length. Numerous shining glands are embedded in the leaves, which-at some seasons exude a .fragrant viscid sub-' stance. In addition to its unique beauty as a garden plant, it. is well worthy of notice for its wood of almost crimson hue -beautifully Veined as in a leaf. Straight in the. grain, durable and dense, it should command a. 1 profitable market for inlay, veneer, and cabinet ware throughout the world; ~ It was at one time used as handles for, carpenters’ -and gardeners’ tools, but. this seems almost a desecration of beauty. Let us hope that its merits may save it through our school gardens from the fate which threatens it at the hands of the bushfeller. The Mushroom.—

Called h'arore, meaning to peel, tha delectable (mushroom was a staple food of the old time Maori, but has been neglected by the leisure loving modern. Here, as in France, the. champignon or fairy ring is a highly esteemed variety. Its perfect circle, enlarging year byyear from the same centre, until it may form a ring '5O feet round, is a source of interest to enquiring minds. A favoured theory is that the soil is ex-, hausted of some needed element in increasing annual circles until the circle becomes too wide for the filmy roots to reach. In England artincial culture in. cellars or abandoned tunnels is highly profitable and gives employment to many. The Maori instinct enabled him to avoid varieties which are deadly poison; but in many cities of Europe, the duty:.of selection is cast . upon special inspectors. So great is the danger of poison in America that mushrooms are seldom, eaten. On good_ sheep- pasture in a favourable season 50 acres would grow a ton, yet no one has. thought of drying or preserving them for profit. The Mangeao.—

The mangeao or tangeao (acrid) has brownish tinted foliage and large leaves with a profusion of creamy blossom, ths male and female showing distinct characteristics and; growing on eeparate trees. Until the honey bee came tha flowers were frequently infertile, but in recent years the plant has spread in the Auckland district, 'to which its growth is confined. The tree -grows only to about thirty feet and shows marked change according to its environment. In the forest, the trunk is bare and upright with small branches; in the full sunlight, it - throws out branches each with a rounded head of conspicuous foliage and bloom. Slow of growth when in its natural surrounding, it yields quickly, however, to cultivation and is worthy of , a place. The flowers are provided with a striking apparatus with which they are" fertilised. The white timber is dense, strong and elastic, and in the days of sailing ships was in great demand’ for ship’s blocks. Grass Tree.- —

The inaka or thatch was known by the South Island pioneers as the'gras* tree. On Stewart Island it grows .to thirty or forty feet, b.ut on the'mainland is stunted to three .or four. It has sharp-pointed, erect leaves. twelve inches long, ; the edges, curved inward, each resembling a thin round stem. Pulled apart from the bunch, the leaf looks strangely like a small ko .or Maori wooden spade, the base forming the blade and the long stiff: leaf the sharp-pointed handle. • Tufts of' small pale green flowers appear at the base of each 'bunch of leaves, which.grow on the end of every branch. From the ground to the top of the upper branch there remains a perfect circlet round the 'bark, showing where last year’s two outer leaves were shed, From these the Maori counted the age of the tree quite correctly. The rings average an inch apart, so that at twenty/ feet a tree would be 240 years old. In the dressed wood, the silver grain is often in the perfect form of a fern leaf. A small fortune awaits the .commercial grower of this unique specimen plant.