Puriri

Puriri

The Vitex lucens ( Puriri ) is a plant from the mint family ( Lamiaceae). This type is found only in New Zealand.

Puriri trees can be very old. It is estimated that one copy, have used the root Māori as a sacred grave of the cavity is to be found in the Hukutaia domain, near Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty over 2000 years old and.

Features

The Puriri is an evergreen tree that reaches the stature heights of up to 20 meters, while its non-uniform strain usually forms up to 1.5 meters in diameter. The treetop massively developed far auslagernd. The thin bark is usually smooth and light brown, but can also be flaky.

The leaves are three-to five-piece fingered, the leaves are elliptical in shape. The color of the leaves is dark green with a shiny surface. They are 5-12 inches long.

The small zymöse inflorescence consists of ten to fifteen flowers. The pink transitioning to the red flowers have a length of 2.5 to 4 centimeters. Although the flowers are borne throughout the year to go, it has its head heyday in the winter months of June to October. The unisexual flowers are mainly from the Tui and the New Zealand Bellbird pollinated ( Ornithophilie ). The bright red when ripe, round and fleshy drupes have a diameter of about 2 inches and serve birds throughout the year as food ( Ornithochorie ).

Dissemination

The distribution area of the Puriri extends over the coastal and lowland regions of the North Island of New Zealand, from the extreme north to slightly toward the center of the island toward. In settlement heights up to a maximum of 800 meters, it prefers fertile soils. As a forest tree of the Puriri is hard to find, but is still planted as an ornamental and street tree.

With the intensification of agriculture and the trees of the Puriri went back. Where little farming is done, it is found slightly more often, especially in the northern regions. The Puriri is not currently classified as an endangered species, its decline in cultivated landscapes, however, is worth mentioning. In forests can be expected to recover slightly. To what extent the proliferation of possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) may have an impact on the health of the tree, is not yet clear.

System

Vitex lucens was described in 1897 by Thomas Kirk.

Use

The wood of the Puriri is hard, extremely hard and has 900 kg/m3 with a high density. Of the Māori, the wood of the tree was used due to its longevity for the manufacture of tools and weapons. Since the wood in the water could well fall to the ground, they used it for the construction of eel traps.

Despite its uneven fibration used European immigrants in the early days of the wood in railway for railway sleepers, posts and masts. In early reports, it was reported that there was naturally grown trees with trunks from 4.5 to 9 meters in length, which was used for the manufacture of furniture, or even as a veneer for marquetry. The appearance was compared with the quality of American or Italian walnut.

The timber is now rarely used. Through the caterpillars of the moth infestation Charagia virescens it is very common error, which limits according to the use.