Alectryon excelsus
Gaertn.
Titoki, New Zealand Ash
(c) Simon Nicholas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Simon Nicholas
(c) Mark Roper, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Robert McKee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robert McKee
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit is eaten, though it is sweet but acidic with a rough taste. Historically, the Maori extracted oil from the seeds.
Where to Find It
A temperate plant. In New Zealand it grows in lowland forests up to 600 m altitude. It is resistant to fort but damaged by drought. It suits hardiness zone 8-9. Hobart Botanical Gardens.
Australia, New Zealand*, Tasmania,
How to Identify
A small tree. It grows 6-12 m tall. The bark is almost black. The leaves are dark green. Underneath they are covered with rusty coloured hairs. The leaves are 5-10 cm long. The flowers are small. The fruit is a brown capsule. It opens to show red flesh and shiny black seeds.
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. Seeds germinate easily.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Alectryon excelsus, commonly known as tītoki, or sometimes New Zealand oak, is a shiny-leaved tree endemic to New Zealand. It is in the family Sapindaceae. It is found in coastal and lowland forests throughout most of the North Island and from Banks Peninsula to central Westland in the South Island.
Notes
There are 15-34 Electryon species. The Maori formerly extracted an oil from the seeds.
References (8)
- Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 63
- Crowe, A., 1997, A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Penguin. p 59
- Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 84
- Fruct. sem. pl. 1:216, t. 46, fig. 2. 1788
- Lamberton, K (Ed.), 2004, The Australian gardening encyclodepia. Murdoch Books, NSW Australia. p 156
- Lord, E.E., & Willis, J.H., 1999, Shrubs and Trees for Australian gardens. Lothian. p 46
- Salmon, J.T., 1989, The Native Trees of New Zealand. Heinmann Reid p 242
- Stewart, K., 1984, Collins handguide to the Native Trees of New Zealand. Collins. p 12
