Kowhai Ngutukaka

KOWHAI NGUTUKAKA

(Kaka beak)

Kowhai Ngutukaka or kaka beak is a shrub found only in New Zealand. It is a member of the pea family and its closest relatives are in Australia. In spring it produces stunning large red flowers which hang in clusters of 15-20. It has bright green seed pods which turn brown and split open when dry. These pods are full of large numbers of tightly packed small black seeds. Plants can grow up to 2-3m tall, producing long, trailing stems that form new plants when they come into contact with soil. The Kowhai ngutukaka's beautiful flowers and edible seedpods have made this plant attractive to gardeners.

They don't know what the pre-human distribution of Kowhai ngutukaka was as Maori are thought to have transported it around the country. They do know that Kowhai ngutukaka once grew in Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, around Lake Waikaremoana, the East Cape and Hawke's Bay. Today Kowhai ngutukaka grows on Moturemu Island in the Kaipara harbor, at several sites on the East Cape, Te Urewera National Park, near Wairoa, and in Boundary Stream Mainland Island in Hawke's