The kowhai is an endemic tree to New Zealand that produces beautiful yellow flowers in the spring. Read 6 facts about this tree here.
I love going for a walk in the spring and seeing some beautiful kowhai trees covered in yellow flowers. The tree and flowers itself are beautiful, but then the trees are also often covered in native birds. It’s so cool to easily see all the birds on the tree since the trees often have almost no leaves. This tree is loved by people, pakeha and Maori alike. Maori valued the tree both for its hard wood and for its medicinal values.
6 Kowhai Facts
In the spring this tree is covered in brilliant yellow flowers. This is the unofficial national flower and is loved by tui and many other native birds, including kaka, bellbird, and kereru.
There are actually 8 species of kowhai tree in New Zealand that all look very similar. All of the species are endemic to New Zealand. Two species have more of a bushy growth form as opposed to a tall tree form.
This is one of the few native trees that loses most of its leaves during the year. However, it’s not just deciduous like others, meaning that it loses its leaves during winter. Instead two species of kowhai (Sophora microphylla and Spohora tetraptera) are brevisemideciduous, meaning that they lose all of their leaves in the spring just before flowering. The leaves grow back quickly after they fall off.
Tui, bellbird, and kereru feed on the leaves and flower of the kowhai. In fact, the nectar from the flowers is an important food source for them. In the springtime it’s common to see many tui in the same tree feasting.
Even without the yellow flowers, this tree is easily recognised by its tiny leaflets. It can be found across the country in many different habitats – riparian forests, coastal, scrubland, and in gardens and urban areas.
Many Maori regard the trees as sacred and forbid cutting them down. There are stories about bad luck befalling people who cut the trees down.