Akapuka

Akapuka in Section 5 of the Tangihua Forest Conservation area. It is growing on a cliff face.

The Akapuka of the Tangihua Ranges is a specialist epiphyte

Akapuka’s Various names and confusion

• Griselinia lucida Akapuka – not Meryta sinclairi Puka
• Common Name: Akapuka or Puka or Shining Broadleaf
• Maori Name: Akapuka or Puka

Akapuka has sometimes been called Puka. Puka is also the name for another tree Meryta sinclairi which is much more commonly grown in gardens but only occurs naturally on the Three Kings and the Hen and Chickens Islands.

Akapuka in the Tangihua ranges has a much smaller leaf and is an epiphyte or perching plant.

Akapuka in the Tangihua ranges

Akapuka (Griselinia lucida) can be found throughout Northlands Tangihua Forest. Some good examples are easily spotted on the Nature Trail, growing in tall trees and on cliff faces where the goats can’t reach them.

The Leaves

The leaves of the Akapuka are large, up to 180mm long and 35 to 120mm wide, although the Akapuka found in the Tangihua forest tends to have a much smaller leaf. The leaves are thick, glossy, leathery and bright green on top with a paler green underneath. One side of the leaf grows shorter than the other, giving them a distinctive uneven base.

The Root

The Akapuka seedlings usually start life in the fork of the branches of large trees. The plant will then send a large root down the trunk of its host tree to the ground. This root allows the Akapuka to obtain additional moisture and nutrients from the soil. In sunny, open areas the root tends to grow down the shady side of the tree, keeping away from the bright light that will dry it out, and aiming for the soil that will contain the most moisture.

Akapuka roots start off white and pliable with extending root hairs. As they mature, the bark covering the root becomes rough and dark, developing a distinctive pattern of vertical ridges and groves.

The Flowers

Akapuka are dioecious; meaning that some plants have male flowers and some have female flowers. The male flowers have small yellow-green petals and produce pollen, while the female flowers have no petals and turn into berries once pollinated. The flowers are found clustered together on the twigs of the Akapuka from mid-spring to early summer.

The Berries / Seeds

The berries, found only on the female plants, ripen through summer, autumn and winter. They begin as 5 to 10mm long green berries that turn dark purple, almost black as they ripen. The ripe berries are eaten by birds who deposit the seeds in the forest canopy where a new generation of Akapuka will grow.

Akapuka Distribution and Habitat

Akapuka tends to grow in the forks of branches or large trees like Kauri in dense forest or Cabbage Trees in open, sunny areas. Unlike most epiphytes it is also capable of growing straight out of the ground in sunny, rocky areas even with little available soil.
Akapuka can be found throughout New Zealand in lowland and coastal forests but is more common in the north of New Zealand and areas of mature forest like the Tangihua forest.

Akapuka leaves and flowers

Akapuka leaves are large, up to 18cm long and 3.5-12cm wide, thick glossy green and rounded. They are paler underneath and with a noticeably uneven base.

The Akapuka roots begin as white and pliable with extending root hairs, as they mature the bark covering the roots become rough, and dark. The roots or trunk become noticeably grooved.

The flowers are small, male and female on separate trees with light green petals or sometimes no petals. The fruit begins as small green berries until they turn black and are eaten by birds who distribute the seed.

Threats and conservation plan

The greatest threat is from possums and goats which eat the leaves, buds, flowers and young shoots of the tree.

Solution

Adequate pest control

Pictures of a Akapuka vine on Nature trail