large-leaved māhoe of lowland forest understorey

Size
Height: 6–8 m
Lifespan
50–100 years
Diet
Not applicable (tree)
Habitat
Kauri forests and other lowland forests in warm, humid areas. Prefers fertile, well-drained soils with partial shade. Often found in mature forest understorey.
Range
Found in kauri forests from Auckland northwards. Restricted to northern North Island. Most common in Northland and on Great Barrier Island.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Habitat loss from land clearance is the primary threat. Browsing by introduced possums and deer. Climate change affecting northern forests.
Population
Populations are considered stable in remaining forest fragments. The species has a restricted distribution but is not considered threatened. It is threatened by ongoing habitat loss and browsing by possums. Protection of kauri forest is critical for the species survival.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
The kauri forest is a place of giants. The large-leaved māhoe is not a giant. A shrubby relative of the common māhoe. Large-leaved māhoe is restricted to kauri forests from Auckland northwards. It grows in the shade of the giant kauri, in the warm, humid understorey. A tree that knows its place. It looks similar to common māhoe but has brown bark (rather than white) and larger leaves. The leaves are glossy, dark green, and oval, up to 15 centimetres long. They are soft and leathery, catching the light. The flowers are greenish-white, appearing on bare twigs below the leaves. They are small and inconspicuous, but they are followed by violet-blue berries that are eaten by birds. A tree that feeds the canopy. The soft wood was used by Māori as the base board for fire-making. The wood quickly forms flammable dust when rubbed with a kaikōmako stick. It was a tree of utility, a tree of the hearth. The tree that made the sparks fly. To see a large-leaved māhoe is to see a tree of the kauri forest. It grows in the shadow of the giants, waiting for a gap in the canopy. Its bark is brown, its leaves are large, its berries are blue. A quiet life in the understorey. Large-leaved māhoe is not a king. It is not a warrior. It is the tree of the fire, the one that made the sparks fly. It has been here for millennia. It will be here as long as the kauri forests stand. The giants will fall someday. The large-leaved māhoe will still be there, waiting for its moment in the sun.