pohutakawa

Name  Atama     ✓ Date   4.4.19

Pōhutakawa Junior Journal 45 

Because the pōhutukawa has red flowers and it

blooms in December, it is often thought of as

New Zealand’s  christmas     ✓        tree.

The pōhutukawa is special to Maori,

and it provides a  habitat   ✓         and

food for many creatures. 

Pōhutukawa prefer to grow in warm places

by the sea, and they have special

 features   ✓              which

help them grow in sandy soil.

The top of its leaves are shiny and green

with   waxy           coating which helps protect

them from the salt, sun and dry conditions. 

The    bark             is rough which protects

the tree from losing water through its

trunk and branches. New flower buds

have a special covering which helps     protect             them

from wind and salt. The roots grow deep into the soil or sand.

They take water from the ground to help them grow and stand up. 

Pōhutukawa provide a home and food

for birds,    insects         and other creatures.

Some  seabirds           such as shags make

their nests in their branches. Other birds, like the

tui, eat the  nectar                 from the flowers.

Lizards and pekapeka also like to eat the nectar.

Insects such as weevils and moths eat the leaves,

flowers, wood and bark, and live in the

dead     leaves              under the trees. 

protect	Christmas	habitat	waxy	insects
seabirds	Nectar	leaves	features	bark