Rangers’ spring flora observations
PUAWĀNANGA IN BLOOM
Something to keep an eye out for this spring is the flowering puawānanga - also known as clematis paniculata. The plant itself is a high-climbing vine and it's flowering right now - look at these beauties!
Puawānanga means "flower of the skies", and traditionally its flowering meant the start of spring.
Karioi Project ranger Louie reckons it's a pretty prolific season for puawānanga this year, so keep a lookout. They will be flowering right through November, and are just starting to fruit.
One cool fact about puawānanga is that there are no similar taxa to it in New Zealand whether they are native or non-native species. No other plants have anything quite like the dark green colour of the leaves or the unique white flower, making it so unique and special.
TE PAHAU-KĀKĀPŌ
Guess what? This next one is not a pine tree seedling - it's actually a giant moss! Pahau-kākāpō (dawsonia superba) is a very special native plant that's found right here in Whāingaroa. While most mosses are short and carpet-like, pahau-kākāpō is a giant moss - the largest in the world actually - and looks like a miniature forest of pine seedlings.
Our ranger Louie spotted it in the ngāhere last week and got these great photos.
Mosses have an incredible, ancient lineage. Their ancestors are far older than trees, ferns and dinosaurs and were some of the first plants to grow on land.
Pahau-kākāpō means "beard or moustache of the kākāpō" because it reminded Māori of the fuzzy face of a kākāpō. We think this is an excellent name!
A GRANDIOSE PŪRIRI
The next one is a beautiful shot from our seabird ranger Georgia, who spotted this impressive giant pūriri tree with a massive epiphyte load.
You'll recognise the pūriri because of its iconic pink fruit and flowers and shiny green leaves. Fruiting throughout the year, the pūriri is a very important tree for native birds in the top half of the North Island because it provides a constant year-round food supply. Kēreru love it and you will often see them hanging out on the branches or gorging themselves on berries. We love the pūriri too and are stoked to have such big and beautiful trees here in Whāingaroa.
If you want to know more about the mighty pūriri - there's a great article in NZ Geographic about them.