Common Name: Tawa

General Information

Beilschmiedia tawa is an evergreen tree with an open irregular crown when growing in the forest but compact and rounded on plants in the open; it can grow 18 - 30 metres or more tall. The usually straight, cylindrical bole can be 45 - 100cm in diameter and free of branches for up to 9 metres[, ].
The tree has been a major source of timber in New Zealand, both for home use and for export. Traditionally, the tree has provided food, medicine and materials for the indiginous peoples.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

New Zealand.

Habitat

Shady moist forests in lowland and lower montane areas on North and South Islands, south to 42° S[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Wind, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Beilschmiedia tawa occurs naturally over a wide climatic range in New Zealand, but is patently sensitive to exposure, drought, snow fall, and severe frost. Mature plants can withstand short-lived temperatures down to about . 9°C, but their young growth is severely to fatally damaged by out-of-season frosts[]. Seedlings are particularly susceptible to damage by frost, wind, drought, and sun, and do not establish readily in large canopy gaps[].
Plants tolerate a very wide range of soils but do not thrive under poor drainage, nor on dry, rocky soils[].
Trees, even when fairly old, can be coppiced[].
Under moist conditions the fast growing taproot penetrates litter and humus layers and quickly reaches the mineral soil; such seedlings often survive for a long period under the dense shade of high forest.The plant can develop a large root system under these conditions, even though the shoots may die back several times. The root stock may thus become a perennating organ, assisting survival of the plant, and enabling it to produce further shoots when light becomes more favourable[].
Under a dense canopy seedlings may persist for many years with little or no gain in height; in one trial plot under such conditions small seedlings which survived for 17 years gained only 5- 10cm in height[].
In small canopy gaps annual height growth of seedlings averages approx. 15cm but coppice shoots from damaged or cut stems in the same situations may grow up to 50cm in 1 year[].
The largest trees probably have a life span of some 400 years; but as the species is more susceptible to heart-rot, and large diameters are not common, the average life span is likely to be 200 - 300 years for trees that have not been suppressed for long periods when small[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. A sweet taste when it is fully ripe[]. The fruit of this tree has somewhat the appearance of a Wine sour plum, it is very sweet, with a slight flavour of turpentine[]. It can cause flatulence[]. The fruit is up to 40mm long and 15mm wide[].

Seed - cooked[]. It is usually steamed and then dried, when it will store in good condition for several years[, ].

The bark when infused, furnishes the traveller with a wholesome as well as a grateful beverage which does not require the addition of sugar[].

Medicinal

The bark is used as a treatment for stomach-aches and colds[].
A decoctionof the bark is used to treat wounds (usually combined with rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) and tutu (Coriaria species))[].

Beta-sitosterol has been recorded as being isolated from the bark of this plant. The compound is a major component of an American proprietary drug used to lower blood cholesterol levels[].

Isoboldine and other alkaloidshave been isolated from the berries[].

Other Uses

The aromatic bark may have commercial use - it belongs to the same natural order as those producing the cinnamon, cassia, sassafras, benzoin, and camphor of commerce[].

The heartwood is a pale, grayish brown colour, sometimes with dark brown streaks; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately fine; the grain usually straight; lustre is low; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is hard and strong. It kiln and air dries readily with little or no degrade. It works satisfactorily with both hand and machine tools; has a moderate blunting effect on cutters; tends to split in nailing; glues well; splits evenly and cleanly. The heartwood is nondurable; the sapwood vulnerable to powder-post beetle attack. The wood is used for flooring, joinery, furniture components, plywood, cooperage, turnery, doweling[, ]. It is used as pulp for making fine grades of paper[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe when almost 100% will germinate. Viability deteriorates rapidly as the seed dried[].
Layering, even of quite old branches, is fairly easy[]..