taraire with large fruit the kererū swallows whole

Size
Height: 15–25 m
Lifespan
300–500 years
Diet
Not applicable (tree)
Habitat
Lowland forests on fertile, well-drained soils. Prefers warm, humid conditions with high rainfall. A dominant canopy tree in northern coastal and lowland forests. Often found with tawa, pūriri, and kahikatea.
Range
Found in lowland forests of the North Island from Northland to Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. Most common in northern lowland forests. Does not occur naturally in the South Island.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Habitat loss from land clearance for farming and forestry is the primary threat. Predation of fruit and seeds by introduced rats and possums. Competition from invasive weed species. Climate change affecting flowering and fruiting patterns.
Population
Populations have declined due to land clearance but are stable in remaining forest fragments. Not commercially logged but threatened by ongoing habitat loss. Rats consume large quantities of fruit, reducing natural regeneration. Possums browse foliage, damaging canopy health.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
A handsome forest tree with large, glossy, oval leaves and dark purple fruit. A tree of the northern forest. Taraire grows to 25 metres in height, with a straight trunk and a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are the story – large, glossy, and oval, up to 15 centimetres long, dark green on top and paler underneath. They are leathery and thick, holding their colour through the year. A tree that wears its leaves like armour. The fruit is a dark purple drupe, similar to tawa but larger. The kernel inside is rich and oily, a high-energy food for Māori tribes north of Lake Taupō. The kernels were boiled, steamed, or roasted in embers. When dried, they could be stored for several months, providing a reliable source of food through the winter. A tree that fed the people. Taraire is very similar to tawa but has larger, broader leaves and is found only in the northern North Island. It is a dominant canopy tree in lowland forests of Northland and Auckland, forming dense stands with tawa and pūriri. The wood is pale, straight-grained, and durable. It was used for making tools, for the handles of adzes, for the frames of houses. The tree was also a marker – a lowland forest with taraire was a forest of rich soil, of deep ground, of a place where the birds gathered. To see a taraire is to see a tree of the northern forest. The northern forest is warm. The taraire stands tall, glossy leaves shining, dark purple fruit hanging. The kererū feed on the fruit. The tūī call from the branches. The tree does not know it is a marker of rich soil. It just grows. It has been here for millennia. It will be here as long as the northern forests remain.