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Prumnopitys taxifolia, the mataī (Māori: mataī) or black pine, is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island / Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there. [2] It grows up to 40 m high, with a trunk up to 2 m diametre.
In Māori culture, Matariki is the name of the Pleiades star cluster, which was important for agriculture in establishing the correct time to plant crops. There are two explanations of the name Matariki: firstly, mata-riki (small eyes) or mata-ariki (Eyes of God). The constellation is also believed to have been used by navigators.
The revival of the celebration of Matariki can be traced to the early 1990s, sparked by various Māori iwi and organisations such as the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, [2]: 87 for example in 1995 there was a festival called Pipitea Marae: Te Whakanui i a Matariki, at Pipitea Marae, Wellington City supported by Te Awa Kairangi ...
However, human migration has led to the importation of many other plants (generally referred to as 'exotics' in New Zealand) as well as widespread damage to the indigenous flora, especially after the advent of European colonisation, due to the combined efforts of farmers and specialised societies dedicated to importing European plants & animals.
The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network has published a list of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants including all 574 native trees and shrubs. [1] This list also identifies which trees are endemic to New Zealand and which are threatened with extinction.
Pikopiko is a Māori word for the young curled shoots of ferns. The pikopiko was one of the foods that was eaten at Matariki feasts. Once harvested, pikopiko can be peeled and washed to remove the bitterness, then steamed, boiled, stir-fried, chopped and added to bread dough, blended with oil and nuts to make a spread or simply used as an attractive and delicious garnish.
The spines are green when young, later turning grey. Matagouri is the only New Zealand native plant that has spines of this kind. [6] The flowers are tiny, scented, and white with no petals, only 4–5 triangular petal-like sepals. [4] They appear in October–December, followed in January–March by small three-lobed green to brown fruits. [4]
A very common tree throughout New Zealand, kāmahi is evergreen that grows up to 25 m in height (rarely higher) with a trunk up to 24 cm (Wardle & MacRae, 1966). The tree has dark green leathery leaves approximately 7.5cm long and 4cm wide. It produces masses of creamy flowers between October and March which have a sweet, scented smell.