Emblems of Forest and Bird

Forest and Bird, Issue 309, 1 August 2003, Page 12

Emblems of Forest and Bird

—GORDON ELL

A bunch of flowers for our 80th birthday

he natural conjunction of feeding tui and flowering kowhai have for decades been celebrated in the emblem of Forest and Bird. Together they symbolise the inter-relationship of forests and birds, each dependent on the other for succour and, ultimately, the ability to carry on to their next generation. The feeding tui helps to fertilise the golden flowers of the kowhai; the kowhai provides abundant nectar to the tui as it prepares to establish its breeding territory. A harbinger of spring, the kowhai brings colour to an evergreen landscape. Favouring more open areas of forest — along streamsides, in coastal strips and other places where light gets in — the kowhai is rarely noticed in its seasons of eclipse. As one of the few semi-deciduous trees in our forests, its winter cloak may be reduced to a few leaves on straggly branches, unnoticed among the other light-seeking shrubs. Yet, when spring comes, it is suddenly conspicuous. The sight of it can redefine a landscape. North of Auckland it outlines the forest reserves at Wenderholm with bunches of gold. A kauri-topped mountain in the forests north of Hokianga suddenly bursts into golden flowers from ridge top to ocean beach as the kowhai reveals its location on the sunny faces. In the Murchison backcountry, at the foot of the Spencer Ranges, huge free-standing kowhai rise from the riverflats, their lichen-clad trunks bringing golden lights to the mistlands and the matagouri. In the frosty environs of Lake Taupo the later-flowering kowhai is a sign that summer is at last about to arrive.

Kowhai is a widespread tree which takes many forms. Generally it has slender, twisting branches, its small oval leaves becoming more conspicuous in late winter as it prepares to flower. Its two main species have generally been easy to identify even if the trees themselves vary in form, from miniature garden cultivars to the substantial trees of the high country. Sophora tetraptera has larger leaves growing more quickly into a tree, while Sophora microphylla has smaller leaves and spends some years as a slower-growing shrub. Sophora prostrata is a dwarf and usually deciduous shrub which grows in drier places in the South Island. Variations and hybrids have, however, puzzled scientists who now recognise eight species (see box). While tetraptera is peculiar to New Zealand, sophora also occurs in Chile and on Gough Island in the South Atlantic. The long-living seeds are said to be a possible reason for its spread. After flowering kowhai produce a long pod bearing golden seed which may remain on the tree until the next flowering. The seeds have an extremely hard outer surface, and people propogating them have even resorted to chipping the shell in a kitchen blender to help achieve germination.