What does Titoki mean in Maori?
nounWord forms: plural titoki. a New Zealand evergreen tree, Alectryon excelsus, with a spreading crown and glossy green leaves. Also called: New Zealand ash. Word origin. Māori.
What does Titoki look like?
The Titoki tree is a popular urban Native that has attractive glossy green leaves and a spreading canopy. With it’s small red fruits, the Titoki attracts native birds such as the New Zealand Wood Pigeon and it’s leaves and oil are a natural insect repellant.
What does Titoki mean in English?
: a New Zealand tree (Alectryon excelsum) with large panicles of reddish flowers.
Is Titoki an evergreen?
Uses: Titoki have been used extensively as street trees but make a bold evergreen shade tree in the garden. Titoki respond well to trimming and shaping and can be used as a pleached or stilt hedge or as large topiary subjects.
Can you eat Titoki berries?
The seed capsule splits open to reveal a bright, shiny black seed perched in a fleshy red base that looks like a ripe raspberry, and almost good enough to eat. Historical records tell us Māori children did eat this fleshy fruit, but it had a very bitter taste and its nutritional value is doubtful.
Is Titoki poisonous?
Poison potential Titoki is known to liberate hydrocyanic acid. However there is only one instance where this was suspected of killing animals and that occurred over 60 years ago. The oil of titoki has been investigated and is found to contain cyanolipeds which release hydrogen cyanide.
Are Titoki berries edible?
How fast does titoki grow?
Growth rates, from quite small samples taken between Auckland and Palmerston North in the mid 1980s, are consistently between 0.35 and 0.4 metres m.a.i for trees aged between 10 and 38 years.
What is eating my titoki leaves?
The Titoki moth, Vanicela disjunctella (Lepidoptera: Roeslerstammiidae), caterpillars only feed on titoki Alectryon excelsus (Sapindaceae). The young caterpillars tunnel in young leaves forming serpentine mines. Older caterpillars hide in rolled edges of leaves and chew young leaves creating ragged edges.
How do you grow Titoki seeds?
Propagation: Soak the capsule in water to soften so it can be broken open to reveal the seed. Sow the black seed as soon as it is collected and cover with about 5 mm of seed raising mix. The seedlings germinate quickly and are frost tender when young.
Can you eat titoki berries?
Where do titoki grow?
Titoki is found in lowland forest throughout the North Island, especially on alluvial ground and volcanic loams. In the South Island it grows as far south as Banks Peninsula; further south on the West Coast. Other species in the Genus are confined to Hawaii, several Pacific Islands, New Guinea and Australia.
Is the titoki tree easy to grow?
Add more to your cart to see savings. Easy to grow? Commonly known as Titoki, this NZ native is a handsome, evergreen tree growing to about 8 m tall and 3 m wide. It carries glossy, green foliage which becomes interspersed with sprays of woolly, rust coloured flowers during summer which gives the tree an interesting red-brown colouring.
Do Titoki trees have bisexual flowers?
Some flowers of this tree are bisexual because female flowers and male flowers are not borne on the same tree. This tree likes to grow in the places that have a lot of water such as wetlands. Titoki tree gravitates towards moist soil which contains many nutrients for growth along with fertile alluvial and sandy soils.
What eats a titoki tree?
The fruit of this tree is usually eaten by possums and birds. Some insects such as the unique 5-mm beetle and a small bronze beetle enjoy chewing the bark and the leaves. In addition, the leaves on a small titoki tree will be targeted by deer.
How do you plant a titoki tree?
Titoki prefer a well drained soil. Therefore if you are planting in heavy clay then the tree will benefit from a deep layer of mulch to keep the roots cool and moist during dry conditions. When selecting your planting site, consider the location of underground services or obstructions that might get in the way as the tree grows.