''Clianthus'', commonly known as kakabeak (''kōwhai ngutukākā'' in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

), is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the legume

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Fabaceae, comprising two

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of shrubs

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to New Zealand. They have striking clusters of red flowers which resemble the beak of the kaka, a New Zealand parrot. The plants are also known as parrot's beak, parrot's bill and lobster claw – all references to the distinctive flowers. There is also a variety with white to creamy coloured flowers called: "Albus," and a variety with rosy pink flowers called: "Roseus." The two species are the critically endangered ''

Clianthus puniceus ''Clianthus puniceus'', common name kaka beak (''Kōwhai Ngutu-kākā'' in Māori), is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Clianthus'' of the legume family Fabaceae, native to New Zealand's North Island. Description ''Clianthus p ...

'' which is now known in the wild only on Moturemu Island in the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckla ...

, and the endangered '' Clianthus maximus''. In a 2005 survey, only 153 plants of ''C. maximus'' were found (down from over 1000 in 1996), mainly in the

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It can also refer to the broader Gisborne cape. East Cape was originally named "C ...

region.Wild kakabeak close to extinction
New Zealand Biodiversity, 23 December 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2008. ''C. maximus'' is widely grown as a garden plant in New Zealand, but the cultivated lines are descended from only a few plants and are not genetically diverse. ''C. puniceus'' is cultivated and has given rise to award-winning

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s. Kakabeak grows to around two metres high, with spreading branches producing leaf stalks up to 15 cm long bearing several pairs of small leaflets. They usually flower from spring through to early summer, but can flower twice a year or even year round. Joseph Banks and

Daniel Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography ...

collected specimens of ''Clianthus'' in 1769 and ''C. puniceus'' was described in 1835.

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

identified two species of ''Clianthus'' as early as 1847 and described ''C. maximus'' in 1885. However Thomas Kirk reduced ''C. maximus'' to a variety of ''C. puniceus'' in 1899. Peter Heenan reinstated ''C. maximus'' as a separate species in 2000. ''Clianthus'' forms a clade with the genus ''

Carmichaelia ''Carmichaelia'' (New Zealand brooms) is a genus of 24 plant species belonging to Fabaceae, the legume family. All but one species are native to New Zealand; the exception, '' Carmichaelia exsul'', is native to Lord Howe Island and presumably dis ...

'', New Zealand broom. Together they form a larger clade with the Australian genus '' Swainsona'' and the New Zealand '' Montigena'' (scree pea). Sturt's desert pea, ''Swainsona formosa'', has some similarities to kakabeak and was initially placed in the genus ''Clianthus''. The fourth genus of New Zealand native legumes is ''

Sophora ''Sophora'' is a genus of about 45 species of small trees and shrubs in the pea family Fabaceae. The species have a pantropical distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus formerl ...

'', represented by eight species of kowhai.Taxonomy of New Zealand Native Legumes
Retrieved 7 April 2006. Kakabeak featured on New Zealand's definitive stamps from 1960 to 1969, initially on the pre-decimal 2 d stamp, and then on its replacement 2 c stamp from 1967. The floral emblem of South Australia, '' Swainsona formosa'', formerly Clianthus dampieri, is similar.

Gallery

Image:CPuniceusDrawing.jpg, Botanical illustration from Cook's first voyage Image:Clianthus puniceus2.jpg, Variety with white flowers known as "Albus."

References

External links

*ARKive
images and movies of the Kaka-beak ''(Clianthus puniceus)''
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2975317 Fabaceae genera Galegeae Trees of New Zealand