Fuchsia
excorticata Tree
Fuchsia Kotukutuku Konini
Family Onagraceae (evening primrose family)
A
tree reaching 13 metres. Bark loose and papery. Slender petioled,
ovate-lanceolate, thin leaves 9-12 cm long. The flowers are handsome and
solitary, 2-3 cm long; blue green changing to red as they mature. The berry is
1-1.5 cm long purplish black holding between 10-30 seeds.
Found throughout
New Zealand
from lowland to sub alpine forests,
often in disturbed soils in shady spots.
Kotukutuku
is the largest Fuchsia in the world forming a tree to 13 metres with a trunk to
0.6 metres in diameter. It is common throughout all of
New
Zealand
to about 1000 metres. It is one of the
few deciduous trees in the
New
Zealand
bush, losing its leaves
over winter. It is common in damp forest margins and regenerating
areas.
|
|
|
|
The pendulous flowers of konini |
The female stigma sits above and away from the pollen producing
anthers. The flower desires to be pollinated by another individual.
and in fact adopts strategies that ensure cross
pollination.
|
The
flowers are termed gynodieocious; having the sexes on separate trees. However,
we find that the plant may have female flowers on one plant and perfect (male
and female parts) on another plant.
The
plant is identifiable by its tough gnarly trunk clothed in a fibrous stringy
bark that gives this quick growing small tree a character of strength and
endurance that does not suggest its actual youth. It is one of the few
New Zealand deciduous trees
|
|
|
|
“In spots less
secluded from the solar rays than the general mass, I detected Fuchsia
excorticata richly in flower; and what really added to the novelty and
beauty of the plant is, its pendant flowers, on their first expansion, are
of a bluish-green cast, which afterwards change to red; and thus the plant
has at the same time flowers of two distinct colours: it forms a small
tree of twelve feet in height.”
Allan
Cunningham 1826 on the banks of the Cowa_cowa (Kawakawa), a branch of the
Wycaddy (Waikare) Bay of Islands. |
The
berry is black or purple 10-12 mm long, elongated, sweet and delicious to
eat. Maori named the berry Konini and on the West Coast of the
South Island the plant is known by this name. It
makes a sweet tasty jam.
The
seeds are easy to germinate, if washed clean from the berries and sown
directly on top of a fine seed raising mix. They should germinate in a
week or two if placed in a warm moist spot. The seedlings are quick
growing. Avoid letting the young plants dry
out. |
I whea
koe I te tahuritanga o te rau o te kotukutuku
Where
were you when the leaves of the Fuchsia tree (Fuchsia excorticata) began to grow
in the spring
A
reproach against those who were no where to be found when the work was to be
done in planting season, but who may appear at the time of
harvest.
|
Recent observations of the New Zealand
Bush |
