Pennantia corymbosa | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Pennantiaceae |
Genus: | Pennantia |
Species: | P. corymbosa |
Binomial name | |
Pennantia corymbosa J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. |
Pennantia corymbosa, or commonly known as kaikōmako, is a small dioecious forest tree of New Zealand.
Small creamy, white flowers are produced between November and February, followed by a shiny black fruit in autumn. They are a favourite food of the New Zealand bellbird.
The Māori name kaikōmako means food (kai) of the bellbird (kōmako). Traditionally the Māori used kaikōmako to make fire by repeatedly rubbing a pointed stick into a groove on a piece of māhoe.
One of the English names is "duck's foot", coming from the shape of the juvenile plant's leaf. Juvenile plants have small leaves with tangled, divaricating stems, while mature plants have much larger leaves and a normal tree architecture.