Myrsine salicina < Species index > Nestegis lanceolata
This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 94, # 11, December 2022
December in the hills with Michele Dickson, Chris Horne
Nestegis cunninghamii, Maire, Black Maire
Photo: Jeremy Rolfe
Origin of the botanical names
'Nestegis' means 'lacking shelter - has no perianth', from the Greek ne- (without) and stege (cover, roof); 'cunninghamii' refers to Allan Cunningham (1791-1839), an English botanist stationed in Australia who visited and collected plants in Aotearoa - or to his younger brother, Richard, who also collected plants here. The name 'black maire' refers to the tree's dark wood. Black maire belongs to the Oleaceae family, which also includes the olive tree, the ashes, lilacs, jasmines and privets.
Distribution and habitat
Black maire is endemic to Aotearoa. It grows in lowland forests from near North Cape on Te Ika a Māui / North Island to near Kaikoura on eastern Te Waipounamu / South Island. Nowhere is it common.
Growth habit
Black maire is a tree up to ca. 20 m tall with the trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The grey-brown bark has vertical and horizontal fissures which result in raised cork-like rectangles. The young branchlets and leaves are hairy. The leaves, which have rather stout petioles / stalks, are in opposite pairs with thick texture and smooth edges. The base of the leaf stalk / petiole may be dark-coloured and swollen. Young leaves are very long and narrow: 10-30 cm x 0.5-1 cm, whereas adult leaves are 7.5-15 cm long x 2-4 cm wide. On the upper surface, the midrib is in a groove near the base of the leaf.
Reproduction
Black maire's flowers appear in spring. They comprise 8-12 tiny green or white flowers on a pubescent, unbranched flowering stem 10-25 mm long. Female flowers and male flowers may be on the same tree or on different trees. The fleshy fruit appear from December to April: they are 15-20 mm x 7-10 mm and orange-red to purple-black. Each fruit contains one purple-brown seed. The fruit are eaten by kererū and tūī, which spread the seeds.
Uses
Black maire wood is very hard and durable. It was widely used by Māori to make various implements and weapons, then later by Pākehā. The fruit was eaten by Māori.
Where can you find black maire?
In Wellington Botanic Garden there is a large specimen on Mamaku Way with an interpretation panel nearby. Look for black maire also in Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, western Wellington hills and in the Tararua, Remutaka and Aorangi ranges.
In The Hills 2022-11 < Index chronological > In The Hills 2023-02