News & Articles

Kōwhai Genus Sophora Along with pōhukutawa, kōwhai are arguably our most well-loved and well-recognised native flowering plants. A tree...

Pukatea Laurelia novae-zelandiae Pukatea with buttresses We love big buttresses and we cannot lie! That is why August’s native plant of...

Sphaeropteris medullaris This month’s plant of the month is the largest tree fern species in Aotearoa (and possibly the world!); mamaku,...

Streblus banksii Adult S. banksii in Howick Reserve This month’s plant is a rare, ‘relict’ (meaning a remnant of a formerly widely...

Kauri Agathis australis Large kauri in Kauri Glen Reserve Kauri is the giant of our northern forests, a ‘keystone’ species that supports...

April Kahikatea / White Pine Dacrycarpus dacrydioides Kahikatea are the gentle giants and guardians of our wetlands. They are Aotearoa’s...

Tī Kōuka / Cabbage tree Cordyline australis The little tree that gives so much. Cabbage trees, or tī kōuka to use their Māori name, are...

Hīnau Eleocarpus dentatus Hīnau were once known as New Zealand olives and their scientific name Eleocarpus means ‘olive-fruited’. While...

Pōhutukawa Metrosideros excelsa Large pōhutukawa in flower Our national Christmas tree is an icon that needs no introduction. Pōhutukawa...

Ongaonga Urtica ferox If a punk was ever transformed into a plant, they would almost certainly look a lot like an ongaonga, or tree...

Alseuosmia macrophylla Toropapa are small bushy endemic plants that most people would walk past without noticing. Even the descriptions...

Kākābeak flowers We think that kākābeak are a national treasure! With the unveiling of our kākā nesting boxes last month, we are keeping...

Putaputawētā Carpodetus serratus Putaputawētā leaves showing characteristic marbling. Putaputawētā are elegant, endemic, small trees that...

Flowering kānuka August’s plant of the month is a bit of a pandora’s box - kānuka are well-known native trees, but they are made up of...

Dysoxylum spectabile Lush, tropical-looking kohekohe leaves A specimen of kohekohe collected by Banks and Solander in 1769 when the...

Fuchsia excorticata Kōtukutuku in flower. © John Barkla You might already be familiar with Fuchsia, possibly from seeing them in your...

Kawaka Libocedrus plumosa Bright kawaka foliage looks very similar to exotic conifers Kawaka are gateway trees into the world of...

Taraire Beilschmiedia taraire Taraire leaves Taraire are very distinctive endemic canopy trees. They have wide, oval leaves with sunken...

Tānekaha Phyllocladus trichomanoides Tānekaha, or celery pine, as they are sometimes known, are endemic trees that naturally grow from...

Māhoe Melicytus ramiflorus Māhoe tree with ripe berries, image source Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0 by Mike Dickison Māhoe is a common tree...