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Ixerba brexioides, the sole species in the genus Ixerba, is a bushy tree with thick, narrow, serrated, dark green leaves and panicles of white flowers with a green heart. The fruit is a green capsule that splits open to reveal the black seeds partly covered with a fleshy scarlet aril against the white inside of the fruit. Ixerba is endemic to the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand. Common names used in New Zealand are tawari (or tāwari) for the tree and whakou when in flower. It is assigned to the family Strasburgeriaceae.
Tawari is known to be very difficult to grow in gardens. It needs a sheltered location, humus-rich soil and good drainage, but the soil should never dry out. The species probably depends on a mycorrhiza, and if planted next to Kapuka Griselinia littoralis, tawari does much better.
Tawari is a species endemic to the North Island of New Zealand, roughly north of a line crossing Taupō. It is said to be widespread from about Kaitaia south to Waitomo, and Te Urewera, including the Tutamoe Ranges, the Waitākere Ranges, Waipoua Forest, Te Moehau on the Coromandel Peninsula, higher elevations on the Barrier Islands and elsewhere around the Bay of Plenty. Tawari can tolerate altitudes ranging from 500–1200 m but is mostly found in submontane and montane forest.
Tawari is a rich source of nectar, which is often so abundant that bees produce monofloral honey, that is the honey is chiefly made of nectar from tawari flowers. Tawari honey is regularly for sale from food shops in New Zealand. The nectar contains a lot of fructose and much water. The honey may be thin as a consequence, but nonetheless crystallizes quickly. The honey has a light colour and tastes a bit like butterscotch. It contains relatively few pollen, and if at least 20% of the pollen is tawari, it can be marketed as tawari honey. Bark can produce a black dye that is known to be used on flax. Māori people traditionally used the flowers to make necklaces and other adornments to be worn at festivities.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ixerba by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
