''Weinmannia sylvicola'', known as tōwai or tawhero, is a medium-sized evergreen
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
of the family
Cunoniaceae
Cunoniaceae is a family of 27 Genus, genera and about 335 species of woody plants in the order Oxalidales, mostly found in the tropical and wet temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.
The greatest diversity of genera are in Australia and Ta ...
native to northern
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 grows to 15 m or more, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. Adult leaves are toothed and leathery, with up to five pairs of
leaflets. Juvenile leaves are thinner and have up to ten pairs of leaflets.
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are small and pink or white, occurring in 8–12 cm
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s.
Fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
s are 4–5 cm
capsules,
which release many tiny
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s that are
dispersed by wind.
Tōwai occurs in forest and forest margins from
North Cape south to the
Waitākere Ranges
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally kno ...
west of
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
.
A closely related tree,
kāmahi (''W. racemosa''), replaces tōwai south of
latitude 37°S.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q18009707
Trees of New Zealand
sylvicola
''Sylvicola'' is a genus of wood gnats in the family Anisopodidae. There are more than 80 described species in ''Sylvicola''.
Species
These 89 species belong to the genus ''Sylvicola'':
*'' Sylvicola adornatus'' Yang & Cui, 1998
*'' Sylvicola a ...
Flora of the North Island