Pennantia corymbosa
Pennantia corymbosa | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Pennantiaceae |
Genus: | Pennantia |
Species: | P. corymbosa
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Binomial name | |
Pennantia corymbosa J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
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Pennantia corymbosa, commonly known as kaikomako (from the
Small, creamy white flowers are produced between November and February, followed by a shiny black fruit in autumn. They are a favourite food of the New Zealand bellbird.
The Māori name kaikōmako means food (kai) of the bellbird (kōmako). Traditionally, Māori used the tree to make fire by repeatedly rubbing a pointed stick into a groove on a piece of mahoe.[1]
An English name is "duck's foot", coming from the shape of the juvenile plant's leaf.[2] Juvenile plants have small leaves with tangled, divaricating stems, while mature plants have much larger leaves and a normal tree architecture.
Description
Identifying P. corymbosa is different at each stage of its life. As a seedling, Kaikōmako has
Range
Natural global range
Pennantia corymbosa is
New Zealand range
Kaikōmako is found in the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island, and in some islands near New Zealand.[6] Kaikōmako is less common in the northern part of New Zealand as it prefers colder temperatures, so it is more common further south where it is colder.[7] Kaikōmako was also thought to be present on Great Barrier Island but Gardner[7] disproved this, finding that the specimens that were found there were specimens of Melicytus micranthus and not Pennantia corymbosa.
Habitat
Kaikōmako is found in lowland forests and coastal areas as it prefers milder temperatures.[4] The location of Kaikōmako can affect the growth of the tree. Beddie[3] found the trees that were less than half a kilometre from the sea, which were exposed to a strong sea breeze, were mostly short and stunted and had leaves that were smaller than usual. Beddie also noted that they had almost no adult growth at all, and that there were no fruits found lower than 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) off the ground.[3]
Ecology
Life cycle/Phenology
Kaikōmako has three stages; juvenile, intermediate and adult.
The
Predators, parasites, and diseases
The name Kaikōmako translates to food (kai) for the bellbird (kōmako).[11] As the name suggests, Kaikōmako fruit is often eaten by bellbirds. As the Kaikōmako plant fruits from January to May, the bellbird eats the fruit of the plant during these times. Honey bees have been observed to nest above the ground and have been found to nest in large holes in Kaikōmako trees.[12] Honey bees also feed on and collect the nectar of the Kaikōmako tree when it is flowering (November to February).[12] The fruit of Kaikōmako can be eaten by possums and other introduced mammals.[13] Thrips feed on old leaves of shrubs and trees, including the Kaikōmako tree. The adult and larva thrips both do this. This can cause leaf silvering and speckling on Kaikōmako.[14]
Cultural uses
Kaikōmako was used traditionally by Māori to generate fire.[15] Māori made fire by friction and used Kaikomako as te hika (rubbing stick). Kaikōmako was used as it is a hard and durable wood and was rubbed with obsidian or a shell to make the stick sharp and then was used with Mahoe (another native New Zealand tree) by rubbing the Kaikōmako stick into the grooves of the Mahoe to make fire.[15] Kaikōmako was used as te hika because in Māori mythology a Māori goddess of fire named Mahuika left her magic flame preserved in a Kaikōmako stick for the use of man-kind to make fire.[15]
References
- ^ "Traditional Plant Use By Māori". eske-style. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Pennantia corymbosa (Kaikomako)". Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Beddie, A. D. (1958). Precocious fruiting of Pennantia corymbosa (Vol. 30, pp. 12-14). Wellington Botanical Society.
- ^ a b c d "Seed collection and propagation guide for Native Trees and shrubs". New Zealand Department of Conservation. 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Pennantia corymbosa". NZ Flora. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Maurin, K. J. (2020). A dated phylogeny of the genus Pennantia (Pennantiaceae) based on whole chloroplast genome and nuclear ribosomal 18S–26S repeat region sequences. (p. 16). PhytoKeys. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.155.53460
- ^ a b Gardner, R. (1998). No kaikomako (Pennantia corymbosa) on Great Barrier Island. Auckland Botanical Society Journal, 53: 75-76
- ^ a b Day, J. (1998). Architecture of juvenile Pennantia corymbosa, a divaricate shrub from New Zealand. In The New Zealand Journal of Botany (Vol. 36, pp. 141-148).
- ^ Burrows, C. J. (1995). Germination behaviour of the seeds of six New Zealand woody plant species. In New Zealand Journal of Botany (Vol. 33). The Royal Society Te Aparangi.
- ^ Gardner, R. O. & De Lange, P. J. (2002). Revision of Pennantia (Icacinaceae), a small isolated genusof Southern Hemisphere trees (Vol. 32, pp. 669-695).
- ^ "Kaikomako". EOL. 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.[unreliable source?]
- ^ a b Butz Huryn V.M. (1995). Use of native New Zealand plants by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.): a review. New Zealand Journal of Botany (vol. 33, pp. 497-512).
- ^ Hosking, G. (1997). "Black Maire (Nestegis cunninghamii) decline in the Haurangi Forest Park" (PDF). New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Martin, N.A. (2011). "Pennantia corymbosa". PlantSynz. Landcare Research. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Papakura, M. (1938). The Old-Time Maori. London: Victor Gollancz Limited.