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Common Name: Whitey Wood

General Information

Melicytus ramiflorus is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 9.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

New Zealand - North, South and Stewart Islands.

Habitat

Lowland to montane light forest and forest margins[]. Usually found in open areas, on the edge of forest, in gullies and streamside areas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	9.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained moderately fertile soil[].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, it requires the protection of a sunny wall even in the mildest areas of the country[, ]. Some trees in Penzance in Cornwall were 6 metres tall in 1930 and withstood temperatures down to -10°c[]. Some provenances from New Zealand should withstand at least -5°c, more if they are grown in a sunny sheltered position[].
Pruning is tolerated if it is required[].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if fruit and seed is required.

Edible Uses

Fruit[, , ]. We have no more details except that the fruit is abundantly produced if male and female trees are grown[].

Medicinal

The Maori used the liquid from the boiled leaves as an external treatment for rheumatism and scabies[].
The inner bark has been used to soothe burns[].

Other Uses

A charcoal is produced from the wood[, ]. It has been used to make gunpowder[].
The main use of this species to the early Maori was in the friction method of fire lighting[]. A slab of the soft wood was one of the best woods for scraping with a pointed stick of harder species in order to make a flame[].
The timber is brittle and useful only as firewood[].

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or in early spring in a greenhouse[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[]. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm long with a heel, early summer/July in a frame[].
Division of suckers in the dormant season[].