synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
''Rapanea salicina'', commonly known as toro, is a species of shrub or small tree 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 ...
.
Description
Toro grows to 10 metres in height, with a trunk to 60 cm in diameter. It has long
oblong
An oblong is a non-square rectangle.
Oblong may also refer to:
Places
* Oblong, Illinois, a village in the United States
* Oblong Township, Crawford County, Illinois, United States
* A strip of land on the New York-Connecticut border in the Unit ...
shaped leaves that are thick, glossy and leathery. Clusters of small (3 – 5 mm across) cream to pale pink coloured flowers are produced along the branches in spring, followed by single seeded, reddy-orange fruits.
Distribution
This species is found on both the North and South Islands from the North Cape to southern
Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to:
Places
*Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya
* Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme
*Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...
. Its preferred habitat is lowland to montane forest.
Threats
Toro is threatened in areas where the introduced possum occurs, as it is one of their preferred foods.