T.E.R:R.A.I.N - Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Atherospermataceae
Genus: Laurelia
Species: L. novae-zelandiae
Scientific name: Laurelia novae-zelandiae
Common name: Pukatea

Pukatea can grow to a height of 40 m and the only New Zealand native tree developing large plank-buttresses. Many tropical trees, especially those that grow in swamps, have plank buttresses at the base of their trunks. These thin triangular flanges extend up the trunk and along the roots.
In New Zealand, the only tree that forms plank buttresses is the forest giant pukatea. It grows to 40 metres in swamp forests and towers above the canopy trees. The buttresses help support its tall trunk and heavy crown. The trunk is clean and straight. Pukatea can be found in lowland semi-swamp and gully forest.
It is common in gullies around New Plymouth. It is a tall forest tree, open and erect branches with crown of foliage on a straight trunk up to 2m diameter, mature tree have the plank-buttresses at the base. The leaves are elliptic, opposite and are thick leathery with coarse blunt serrations. They are bright green with serrated leaf margins, a glossy top surface and pale underneath (4-8cm x 2.5-5cm). The young leaves are a light green and the adult leaves are darker. It has small (6mm) green flowers on flower stalks up to 3cm long during October to November. It then develops urn shaped seed cases up to 2.5cm long which split and release hair-covered seeds which are dispersed by the wind.
In the past the light but tough timber of pukatea has been used for boat building. An extract from the bark containing the alkaloid pukateine is used in traditional Maori herbal medicine as an analgesic.