The pohutukawa tree is referred to as the New Zealand Christmas Tree and is native to the country. It bears a Maori name and is found throughout the North Island particularly on both the east coast (Gisborne) and west coast (Kawhia), down as far as Wellington and even in the South Island too.
Pronounced poe-hoot-ah-kah-wah, this hardwood is known for its bright red blossoms which tend to appear around the holidays, hence the reference to a Christmas tree, although blossoms can be other bright colors too.
Given that in New Zealand December is one of the warmest months of the year since it’s the start of summer, the tree blooms in full during this time for several months.
While the pohutukawa is known for its colorful blooms, it also has a number of uses and interesting facts. Let’s talk about them in more detail including why tree numbers have significantly dropped over the years.
Pohutukawa tree facts
- Pohutukawas have been known to grow and survive for hundreds of years and possibly for up to 1,000 years at the high end.
- They have very twisted and long roots which enable them to grow on cliffs and places other trees can’t.
- While very common in New Zealand, they are also found throughout the South Pacific as well as in Japan, Hawaii and in numerous sub-Antarctic islands.
- In South Africa, pohutukawas are considered a weed and are treated as such as they tend to crowd out other local vegetation.
- Pohutukawa trees can reach up to about 65 ft (20m) in height when they are in fertile environments and have room to grow.
- They are generally fast growing when young with saplings growing around 11″ (30cm) per year.
- Older pohutukawas grow around 4″ (10cm) in height per year.
- Rata trees which are also indigenous to New Zealand are often mistaken for pohutukawas. The difference is in the leaves: While pohutukawa leaves are larger and darker green, rata leaves are also curved at the edges.
- While a range of red-colored blossoms are most common, other colors such as apricot, salmon, yellow and even pink blossoms have been noted.
- The tree is somewhat susceptible to extreme conditions namely fire and frost. Fire is often used for deforestation which can cause unintended damage to nearby pohutukawas while cold frost can kill young saplings if not protected.
- Due to its hardness, it burns slowly which makes it a good choice for smoking food.
Uses for pohutukawa tree wood and blossoms
New Zealanders know full well about the use of a large pohutukawa as shade during a sunny summer day on the beach. The pohutukawa tree has a number of other applications both current and historical as well.
Shipbuilding: The wood from the pohutukawa is very strong and naturally curved which makes it a great choice for wooden shipbuilding. Given that it’s a hardwood, pohutukawa is a good choice for wooden boats.
Honey: The blossoms from the pohutukawa produce a nectar that is sold as honey although you might be more familiar with manuka and kanuka honey from New Zealand which is widely exported.
Medicine: Maori traditionally used pohutukawa nectar to treat sore throats. The inner tree bark is often used as part of a treatment for diarrhea and is commercially used in mouthwashes.
Firewood: Due to the prevalence of pohutukawa trees in New Zealand, it has traditionally been used as firewood simply due to the fact that it’s easy to find in the country and are relatively quick growing trees.
Smoking: The wood from the pohutukawa tree is often used in New Zealand for food smoking. Pohutukawa wood chips are known to produce a sweet and aromatic flavor when used to smoke food such as chicken, pork, seafood, turkey and other white meats.
The pohutukawa flower
The pohutukawa flower blossoms in the form of long bright red stamens which are the thin reproductive organs of the tree.
While other colored stamens like apricot, salmon, yellow and pink exist, red is the distinctive color of the pohutukawa that you tend to see in pictures as well as souvenir items such as postcards that feature an image of the tree.
The blossom tends to appear in December in New Zealand as summer starts which is why the tree is referred to locally as the New Zealand Christmas tree and New Zealand Christmas bush.
Why the pohutukawa tree has drastically declined in number
People and possums.
Those are the two biggest threats to the pohutukawa’s survival and for a number of reasons. The pohutukawa tree’s numbers have dropped drastically over the past quarter century largely related to humans and animals.
According to scientists in New Zealand, it was discovered that over 90% of coastal pohutukawa communities had been eliminated. Given that the tree tends to grow on coastal areas, this was more than alarming.
In the past, the strong timber from the pohutukawa was prized in shipbuilding among other commercial uses. The timber is naturally curved and very hard which makes it an obvious choice for building keels and sterns of wooden ships.
Pohutukawas are currently harvested for firewood and the wood can also be used for smoking food. Since it’s widely available, it’s widely harvested. But humans aren’t the only natural predator.
Possums are particularly damaging to the trees and are known to devour various parts of the pohutukawa including leaves, buds, flowers and shoots.
Pohutukawas have also been killed due to deforestation in the form of deliberately set fires used for land clearing purposes. It’s very sensitive to fire on the one hand but is also sensitive to cold frost on the other. However, young trees that are protected from these elements early can flourish later in life.
Summary
The pohutukawa is a tree commonly found in New Zealand and other South Pacific countries and as far away as Japan and Hawaii. It produces bright red blossoms when blooming and has strong twisted roots that enable it to grow in many areas that other trees can’t.
While it seemed to disappear in Australia for a spell, it has began to grow again particularly in cliff and coastal areas just like in New Zealand.
The tree is so large and overpowering that it is considered a weed in South Africa and is treated as such.
Pohutukawa wood has many commercial uses particularly related to timber, firewood and shipbuilding but the blossoms also produce bush honey. The commercial uses of the tree have led to a severe decline in its numbers and made worse by animal consumption of the leaves, buds, flowers and shoots.
Project Crimson Trust
is a New Zealand organization that aims to protect trees in the country including the pohutukawa. Among other things, conservation efforts include planting new trees from seeds and then returning the growing saplings to the original location to help build up the pohutukawa communities again.