maire raunui

Nestegis cunninghamii | maire raunui, black marie, marie

A tall and handsome tree, reaching up to 25 meters in height with a stout, straight trunk and a broad crown of long, leathery, glossy dark green leaves featuring a recessed mid-rib. It has rough, cork-like bark and produces small green flowers in spring, followed by small green fruits that ripen to red or yellow. Widespread in coastal to montane forests and often prominent in riparian podocarp forests throughout the North, South, Little Barrier, and Great Barrier Islands, it is now scarce north of Auckland and uncommon in much of its former lowland range due to preferential logging by early settlers. Black maire is best suited for large native plantings, including revegetation projects and parks.