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Pukatea is a large evergreen tree native to New Zealand's lowland forests, growing best in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. It is a grower of damp sites and cultivation is uncommon, so care is largely based on its native habitat.
Laurelia novae-zelandiae, commonly known as pukatea, is a large evergreen tree, endemic to the forests of New Zealand. Pukatea has 'toothed' leaves and produces small flowers. It is a species in the Atherospermataceae (formerly Monimiaceae) family, and a typical representative of the laurel forest ecoregion.
Pukatea is endemic to New Zealand. It is generally found in lowland forest and grows throughout the North Island of New Zealand, and the northern third of the South Island, usually where moisture is plentiful, such as in damp, lowland forests, gullies, and on the edges of streams.
The plant is used in rongoā (traditional Māori medicine) as an analgesic, due to the presence of the alkaloid pukateine in the bark of the tree. The hollows at the centre of trunks were also traditionally used as burial trees.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Laurelia novae-zelandiae by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
