Pennantia corymbosa
Appearance
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 Māori kaikōmako), is a small dioecious forest tree of New Zealand.
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.
References
- ^ "Traditional Plant Use By Māori". eske-style. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Kaikomako (Pennantia corymbosa)". Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Retrieved 23 April 2012.