Tāwari
Ixerba brexioides
family: Ixerbaceae
A forest tree with leathery opposite, alternate or whorled leaves. White to pale lilac flowers are borne in groups (panicles) and floral parts are in fives. The ovary sits upon a lobed nectar-secreting disk. The fruit is a one-seeded capsule and the black seeds have a fleshy aril. Ixerba was formerly included in the Escalloniaceae. This is the a family of flowering plants that is endemic to New Zealand and consists of but one genus with one species.
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Tāwari - A forest tree 10 m or more tall. The leathery leaves are opposite to alternate (tending to be in whorls at the end of the season’s growth), 6-16 cm long with fine -toothed margins. Found in the upper half of the North Island in moist forest. (photo, Larry Jensen)
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Flowers - The flowers are in 5-10 flowered groups (panicles) 10-15 cm in diameter. Leaves on flowering shoots tend to be shorter than those on younger shoots..
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Fully open fruit - Splitting is followed by the pulling back of tissue to expose a pair of seeds in each of the five fruit segments. (photo, Iain MacDonald) |
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Seeds - The 5 mm long seeds are a shiny black and have a scarlet fleshy growth (aril) on their undersides that is developed from the seed stalk. (photo, Ian MacDonald) |
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Flower - The starry white flowers have 1.5-2 cm long petals, 5 stamens and a conspicuous 5-lobed yellow-green ovary in the centre. (photo, Iain MacDonald).jpg)
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