tawari

Ixerba brexioides | tawari, whakou (flowers)

 

A beautiful tree with glossy, somewhat tropical-looking leaves are smallish, serrated, and leathery, displaying a peculiar olive-green hue that sometimes turns reddish with age. In late spring, it produces attractive clusters of fragrant white flowers at the branch tips in symmetrical bunches contrasting against the dark green, similarly arranged leaves.  In autumn, leathery seed capsules split open to reveal glossy black seeds with a striking orange-scarlet aril. These nutrient-rich fruits are a favorite of tūī and other fruit-eating birds, which gather to feast on the small aril attached to each seed. During spring, the blossoms offer nectar and pollen for bees, which produce the delicious tawari honey, a light in color with a delightful butterscotch-like flavor.

Unfortunately, tawari is challenging to cultivate. Tawari often grows naturally near kauri, the species probably depends on a mycorrhiza, and if planted next to Griselinia littoralis, tawari does much better.