red matipo with dark berries loved by forest birds
- Size
- Height: 6–8 m
- Lifespan
- 100–200 years
- Diet
- Not applicable (tree)
- Habitat
- Coastal forests, lowland forests, forest margins, and scrub. Prefers fertile, well-drained soils with partial shade. Tolerates wind and salt spray. Often found as an understorey tree in mature forest.
- Range
- Found throughout New Zealand from Northland to Stewart Island. Most common in coastal and lowland forests. Also found on the Chatham Islands. One of the most common small trees in native forests.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- Habitat loss from land clearance is the primary threat. Browsing by introduced possums and deer. No significant pest or disease issues. Climate change affecting forest habitats and coastal areas.
- Population
- Populations are considered stable and widespread. The species is common in coastal and lowland forests throughout New Zealand. It is not threatened by habitat loss because it remains abundant. No formal conservation assessment exists for this species. It is considered secure.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
One of New Zealand's most common native small trees. A tree with red edges.
Red matipo grows in coastal and lowland forests, an understorey tree in the shade of the giants. It is small, reaching eight metres at most, with a rounded crown and dark, furrowed bark. But the leaves are the story. A tree that hides its best feature.
The leaves are wavy, red-edged, and distinctive. The new growth is bright red, giving the tree its common name. The older leaves are dark green, but the edges stay red, a flash of colour in the green understorey. The leaves are thick and leathery, arranged alternately along the branches.
The flowers are small and inconspicuous, followed by tiny black berries. The berries are eaten by birds, which spread the seeds across the forest. The tree is slow-growing and long-lived, a patient presence in the understorey.
The wood is hard and dense. Māori used it for making fire by friction – the lower stick of the fire-making set. The small, strong branches were used for bird spears and for making fishing hooks. The leaves were sometimes used in medicines.
To see a red matipo is to see a tree of the understorey. The forest understorey is dark. The red matipo waits in the shade of the rimu and the tōtara, red-edged leaves catching the light. It does not compete with the giants. It waits. It does not know it made fire. It does not know it made fishing hooks.
It just wants to hold its red edges to the light. It has been here for millennia. It will be here as long as the forest remains. The red edges catch the light, a reminder that even the small trees have their beauty.