Thread: Native plant identification

I planted this kowhai as a seedling about seven years ago in a cardboard biodegradable one litre milk container. This year is its best bloom yet. Had heaps of tuis and bellbirds and grey warblers visiting it.

Originally Posted by EeeBees

Tanekaha is known as toatoa in my area.

That is interesting. Toi toi. Toe toe and now it seems Toa toa all in the same country.

Toatoa is a closely related plant to tanekaha.

Careful, bracken fern root is carcinogenic (cancer causing).

Originally Posted by SiB

Cabbage tree: do note that extracting the centre of the base of the tree, or the pith (I understood it to be the crown under where the flower pops out) is fatal for the tree. They don't like it you know. Must admit if I was stuck in the bush and hungry there'd be no 2nd thought - but felt I should comment lest some members decide to do a 'bush survival' menu for their Christmas dinner . . . . . .

I have eaten it. It tastes very much like cabbage! Needs lots of salt.
Dad was doing some bulldozing and these trees had to go so we gave it a try...better than wasting the tree

if you pull the centre leaves, the palatable ones from the head, it will cause the head to separate into two...you can always tell if a cabbage tree has been 'harvested'!!!

Originally Posted by Pengy

That is interesting. Toi toi. Toe toe and now it seems Toa toa all in the same country.

Pengy, there are many dialects of Te Reo throughout New Zealand...so I have found that it is safer to use the Latin name for plants...just as there are different names for different weeds etc...

toi toi is a misspelling of toetoe Austroderia toetoe...

I had an story published in the NZ Wildlife magazine and when I wrote it it said toi toi which is what I knew and when it was published it read toe toe.

Tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) is a coniferous tree...the local dialect in my area refers to it as toatoa...and just to confuse everyone even more Haloragis erecta and Phyllocladus alpinus are also known as toatoa...

Sounds like your talking dirty Eeebees

Lemonwood?

Originally Posted by EeeBees

toi toi is a misspelling of toetoe Austroderia toetoe...

My first post and it's on plants! The native toetoe is actually Austroderia Fulvida.

Originally Posted by Lard

My first post and it's on plants! The native toetoe is actually Austroderia Fulvida.

In that case I hope you are correct welcome in

we have five members of the austroderia family...

Austroderia fulvida (North + South Islands), Austroderia richardii (North + South Islands; naturalised in Tasmania), Austroderia splendens (coastal parts of North Island), Austroderia toetoe (North Island), Austroderia turbaria (Chatham Islands)

Some good info in here, lol yip names vary a heap through regions