Tītoki

Scientific name

Alectryon excelsus

Physical Features

Height - 10-20m 

Description - Tītoki has strong green leaves with panicles of reddish flowers. The tree flowers in spring and it takes up to a year for the fruit to mature. The furry woody fruit opens to reveal a hard black seed with a red fleshy covering.

Location - North and South Islands from Te Paki to Banks Peninsula

Uses

Tītoki's hard black seed was favoured by Māori and early European settlers alike as the source of the best oil.

Planting

Well drained, fertile soils in full sun or partial shade.

Purakau

The wood is strong and led to the tītoki being called New Zealand oak  - it is straight grained, easy to work with, and has a slight red colour. Its strength led to "he peka tītoki", a phrase used in whakataukī which compares the tree’s tough wood to a leader, iwi or hapū who would not surrender.