Kiekie (''Freycinetia banksii'') is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber native to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is a member of the screwpalm family
Pandanaceae.
Kiekie has numerous cane-like stems up to 40 mm in diameter, which freely produce aerial roots. It climbs tree trunks, or forms dense tangles on the forest floor. Its stems and leaves are a dominant feature in many areas of New Zealand forest, the stems eventually reaching up to 30 m long. The
leaves are long and slender, 60–90 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad.
Distribution
Kiekie is found in forests throughout the
North Island. In the
South Island, kiekie is more common in higher rainfall areas, reaching its southern limit near the Clarence river in the east and in
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lake ...
in the west.
Classification
In 1973, B.C. Stone argued that ''F. banksii'' should be regarded as a subspecies of ''F. baueriana'' of Norfolk Island (Stone 1973). Subsequent to this, de Lange et al. (2005:591-592), countered Stone's arguments and retained ''F. banksii'' as a distinct species because of significant differences from ''F. baueriana'', including over all growth habit, phyllotaxis, leaf width, vein tessellation, and bract colour (salmon pink to orange in ''F. baueriana'', white to purplish in ''F. banksii'').
Uses
The sweet-tasting fruits and the succulent flower bracts (tāwhara) were a delicacy of the
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 ...
. These were often gathered by using a forked stick. The leaves widely for plaiting and weaving, although the broader leaves of
New Zealand flax were preferred because they provided more material. Kiekie was preferred for closely woven items, such as ''
kete pūtea'' and ''kete pure''.
Items woven included mats and temporary baskets for holding food. The aerial roots were gathered to use as a binding material for implements and for making fish traps and sandals.
See also
*
Ieie, a related Hawaiian species
References
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q311751
Freycinetia
Flora of New Zealand
Fiber plants