Weinmannia racemosa

Taxobox
name = Kāmahi

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image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Oxalidales
familia = Cunoniaceae
genus = "Weinmannia"
species = "W. racemosa"
binomial = "Weinmannia racemosa"

Kāmahi ("Weinmannia racemosa"), a medium-sized tree of the family Cunoniaceae, is a very common tree in New Zealand, occurring in lowland, montane, and subalpine forests and shrubland from the central North Island south to Stewart Island.

According to the 1966 "Encyclopedia of New Zealand", it is 'the most abundant forest tree in New Zealand'. [cite web|title=Kamahi - 1966 Encyclopedia of New Zealand|author=Poole, A. L. |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/K/Kamahi/Kamahi/en |accessdate=2007-06-19] Sometimes beginning life as an epiphyte on the trunks of tree ferns, kāmahi attains its greatest height of 25 or more metres in the Catlins forests of the south-eastern South Island. It has small creamy-white flowers in erect spikes. Kāmahi generally occurs with other broadleaf trees, at times acting as a pioneer species which is eventually succeeded by the southern beeches ("Nothofagus" spp.) or podocarps. In forests to the west of the Southern Alps it grows in association with southern rātā ("Metrosideros umbellata"). Because the wood of kāmahi has a tendency to warp or crack, it is little used despite its abundance. A closely related tree, tōwai or tawhero ("W. silvicola"), replaces kāmahi in the North Island north of latitude 37°S.

References

Further reading

*Metcalf, Laurie, 2002. "A Photographic Guide to Trees of New Zealand". Tāmaki-makau-rau: New Holland.
*Salmon, J.T., 1986. "The Native Trees of New Zealand". Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara: Heinneman Reed.

External links

*cite web |title="Weinmannia racemosa" |work=New Zealand Plant Conservation Network |url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/vascular_plants/detail.asp?PlantID=1405|accessdate=2008-05-18
*cite web |title="Weinmannia racemosa" |work=Flora of New Zealand |url=http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Taxon.aspx?id=_ed495d52-874c-4453-b5a8-c04a6e3a45f7&fileName=Flora%201.xml|accessdate=2008-05-18
* [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/Y1997E/y1997e17.htm#bm43 Ecological zones of Oceania; includes information about Weinmannia racemosa]