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Entelea arborescens
Also called Corkwood, Evergreen Lime, Whau
Entelea arborescens or whau is a species of malvaceous tree endemic to New Zealand. E. arborescens is the only species in the genus Entelea. A shrub or small tree to 8 m (26 ft) with large lime-like leaves giving a tropical appearance, whau grows in low forest along the coast of the North Island and the northern tip of the South Island. The dry fruit capsules are very distinctly brown and covered with spines.
Preferring a rich moist loam, whau can be grown outdoors in sun or light shade in mild climates, or in a conservatory or glasshouse in cold climates. It is intolerant of drought and is able to withstand barely 3 °C of frost. Propagation is from seed, which is available commercially. It also strikes readily from hardwood cuttings about 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) long with leaves and twigs removed. Thrust deep into gritty damp soil in black planting bags and covered with a wet sack or newspaper for a week to keep moist; new leaves will appear after about three weeks. Best left a few months until strong re-growth is obvious before transplanting.
The species is native to New Zealand, found widely across the North Island north of the Māhia Peninsula and the Kawhia Harbour, and sparsely south of this. It is also found in the South Island around Golden Bay / Mohua and Nelson, and in Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands. Whau trees are also an introduced species in Ecuador.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Entelea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
