rewarewa with comb-like flowers loved by tūī

Size
Height: 15–25 m
Lifespan
100–200 years
Diet
Produces long, tubular, red flowers rich in nectar. Attracts tūī, bellbirds, and kākā. Flowers followed by large, woody seed pods containing winged seeds.
Habitat
Lowland and montane forests throughout North Island and northern South Island. Tree of hills, ridges, and well-drained slopes. Often found in regenerating bush.
Range
Found throughout North Island and northern South Island (north of Greymouth and Kaikoura). Most common in lowland and montane forests on hillslopes and ridges.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
None significant – species still common in native forests throughout range. Fast-growing pioneer often one of first trees to colonise clearing or slip.
Population
Not Threatened. Still common in native forests throughout range. Fast-growing pioneer often one of first trees to colonise clearing or slip. Not rare.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native broadleaf tree, safe to handle
Conservation Note
Endemic tree; widespread in lowland and montane forests throughout New Zealand.
Assessment
NZTCS Vascular Plants (2023)
Te Ao Māori
Rewarewa. Name rhythmic, rolling. In Māori tradition, Rewarewa was tree of forest. Source of timber and nectar. Flowers favourite of tūī. Birds gathered in canopy to feast. Wood used for tools, weapons, handles of adzes. Long, straight grain ideal for carving. Tree was marker. Rewarewa in flower meant spring. Meant warmth. Meant return of birds. Sign that forest was waking up after winter.
It does not shade. Rewarewa trunk is tall and straight. Often reaching 20 metres or more. Bark dark and deeply furrowed. Not rough like tōtara. Not flaky like rimu. Patterned in vertical ridges. Look exactly like corduroy. Run hand up trunk. Feel ribs. Parallel lines of dark, corky bark. What makes it special? Flowers. In spring, Rewarewa erupts in clusters of striking, reddish-brown, finger-like blossoms. Hang from branches like candles. Like fingers of upturned hand. Each flower is tube. Curved and split at tip. Filled with nectar. Not showy in way of pōhutukawa. Darker. More subtle. More mysterious. But tūī and bellbird know them. Dive into flowers. Drinking sweet nectar. Emerging with heads dusted in pollen. Leaves are another clue. Rewarewa has long, narrow, leathery leaves with serrated edge. Like saw blade. Top surface dark green and glossy. Underside paler. Covered in fine, silvery hairs. Leaves arranged alternately along branches. Giving tree somewhat sparse, open canopy. Not shade tree. Tree lets light through. Wood dense, heavy, beautifully figured. Reddish-brown with striking grain pattern. Used by Māori for tools, weapons, handles of adzes. Wood takes fine polish. Sometimes used for decorative carving. Name Rewarewa thought to refer to long, straight grain of wood. Biologically, Rewarewa is member of Proteaceae family. Same family as Australian banksias and grevilleas. Tree of ancient southern supercontinent Gondwana. Lineage dating back millions of years. Flowers adapted for bird pollination. Curved tubes. Abundant nectar. Tough, leathery petals withstand beak of tūī. To stand under Rewarewa in full flower is to stand under tree of dark candles. Reddish-brown blossoms hang from branches. Buzzing with bees and birds. Tūī drunk on nectar. Chasing each other through canopy. Bark ridged like corduroy. Leaves serrated like saw blades. Wood dark and heavy. Tree of texture. Of pattern. Of hidden beauty. None significant threats exist. Species still common in native forests throughout range. Fast-growing pioneer. Often one of first trees to colonise clearing or slip. Faces no major threats. Popular specimen tree in parks and gardens. Not Threatened. Still common in native forests throughout range. Fast-growing pioneer. Often one of first trees to colonise clearing or slip. Not rare. Just tree that knows how to make entrance. Lowland and montane forests throughout North Island and northern South Island. Tree of hills, ridges, and well-drained slopes. Often found in regenerating bush and along forest margins where light is bright and competition fierce. Tree of edges. Pioneer of open places. Found throughout North Island and northern South Island (north of Greymouth and Kaikoura). Most common in lowland and montane forests. Particularly on hillslopes, ridges, and in regenerating bush. No one told it otherwise.