Information for Junior Secondary

Puriri

• Puriri’s are found mostly in the North Island, specifically on the volcanic plateau
• The Puriri is different from most other native trees, because pollination is dependent only on the birds!
• The birds enjoy the large flowers and the fleshy fruit
• The seeds are dispersed in the birds droppings
• A beautiful tree growing to 25m with the trunk’s diameter averaging 1.5m
• The crown is magnificent and provides food and shelter to our bird life and other inhabitants

Bark & Foliage

• The bark is light brown but like most of us becomes flaky with old age
• On the young branches the leaves spread to form a ‘hand’ with 5 leaves, 3 big ones and 2 small ones
• The leaves are smooth, strong, wavy and the veins are very visible on the underside

Flowers and Fruit

• Flowers are bright ranging in colour from pink to bright red, even crimson and full of pollen in spring
• Once pollinated the flowers become big red fleshy fruit with a stony pip in the centre. The pip is actually 4 individual seeds in one encasement
• The flowers and fruit are present all year round although summer is the most prolific

Interesting Facts

• The timber is one of the strongest of our natives and used for such things as bridges and piles, railway sleepers and in ship building
• The Maori name is Kauere
• The common name is NZ Mahogany
• The Puriri provides food for our NZ native birds like the Pidgeon (Kereru)
• The Puriri moth loves the Puriri hence its name and is NZ’s biggest moth
• The Maori boiled the Puriri leaves and used it as a remedy for rheumatic pain and other pain from sprains and backaches, even sore throats