Vitex lucens (Pūriri)

We wanted to write something about Pūriri today - it's one of our best selling specimen trees with a rich history.

When it comes to Pūriri, everything is large - mana nui, ōkiko nui, hoa nui. We have heaps of respect for Pūriri, they deserve as much respect as our tupuna, our ancestors and forebears. As one of the oldest trees in Aotearoa, they have seen countless lifetimes and generations come and go throught their lifespan.

An impressive native tree, they are tall, wide and even the manu, the birds, need to be large to consume the seed of the Pūriri. The Kererū and other manu nui are known to feed on their seed.

We'd also like to talk about the pūriri moth, a beautiful insect that inhabits the Pūriri for the majority of its life. It's our largest moth, endemic to the North Island of Aotearoa. Again, another symbiotic relationship related to the Pūriri where both parts are great in size.

Pūriri: One of the OG's

He tupuna rākau ki te whenua - Pūriri, also known as Vitex lucens, are one of the largest, and oldest trees to grace Aotearoa. Some Pūriri may be older than even the most ancient Kauri. They were certainly here before man set foot on our humble islands.

They are endemic to the North Island and are a sight to behold... Seeing a Pūriri with a trunk as wide as a small shed in the depths of the ngahere is awe inspiring, and really puts into perspective how young we are in comparison to the rangatira of the ngahere, the original tangata whenua.

Kererū enjoy the Pūriri seed, which are so large that only the Kererū and other large birds are able to consume them for kai. The manu, the birds, consume, digest and then eject (poop them out, in other words) the seed after a couple hundred kilometer flight. The seed then grows wherever it lands.

Here is a quote from Meaning of Trees, which has heaps of interesting facts about our native rākau:

The tree quickly gained the respect of Māori living in northern New Zealand where it naturally occurs. To many tribes the tree was deeply sacred and associated with mourning and burial of the dead; a connection that still lives on in some places today. After the death of a chief or person of high mana, the body would be adorned with a coronet of pūriri leaves, and washed with an infusion of the leaves and water. After being left to decompose, a ritual scraping ceremony was performed and the bones entombed in the hollow of a Pūriri.

Taketakerau – a giant burial tree in Ōpōtiki, is estimated to be around 2000 years old and served as an important burial site for the local Bay of Plenty tribes. The tree was considered highly sacred and interference with it was a religious offence punishable by death. During the early phase of European settlement a storm damaged the tree and exhumed the bones, forcing the local tribes to remove them for reburial.

Despite this deep association with death, The Bay of Islands Māori also considered Pūriri a symbol of joy at being alive. “Ka kata ngā pūriri ō taiamai,” is an ancient proverb used as a greeting, congratulation or when honouring a guest. Translated its meaning is: “the puriri trees of the bay of islands are laughing with joy.” It represented a delight and happiness that nature was content and all was well with the world.

I'd encourage the nature enthusiasts and botanical minded to read or listen to the Meaning of Trees or read more about the Pūriri, you won't regret it.

Pepe tuna, the Pūriri Moth

The Pūriri moth, pepe tuna, choose the Pūriri tree as their home. Pepe tuna are also the largest moth we have in Aotearoa -- nothing is small when it comes to Pūriri! When they are caterpillars, they like to burrow in the trunk and live there for around 5-7 years, before emerging as a moth for their final 48 hours of life.

Pūriri moth facts:

• The pūriri moth is New Zealand’s BIGGEST moth.
• A female can grow to up to 15 cm (about as wide as your stretched out hand). Males are a little smaller.
• Caterpillars start life in the leaf litter and then climb up a tree and make an ‘L’ shaped burrow in the trunk and live there for around 5-7 years.

Diet:

• Adult moths do not eat. They only live for a few days and their purpose is to lay eggs/ have babies.
• hen they are caterpillars they eat ungus, rotten wood and native tree arts.

Habitat:

• They are nocturnal (only come out at night) and live in a variety of habitats including grassland, shrub land, forests, and caves. Some live in holes under stones, rotting logs, or in trees
• These moths usually live in or near native forests
• They are only found in the North Island

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this little native spotlight for the Pūriri.