Tree of the month
Houhere.
GROWING HABIT
Houhere, also known as longleaved lacebark, is a graceful, small to medium-sized native tree that grows along forest margins and stream banks from coastal lowland habitats to montane riparian forest. It produces beautiful, scented white flowers in summer and autumn that develop into a winged dry fruit.
Branches are generally slender and upright, producing distinctive compact crowns up to 8m high with drooping foliage.
Young long-leaved lacebark has interlacing weeping branches and small rounded leaves about quarter the size of adult foliage. Over time, these change to the adult form of long serrated leaves when the trees reach about 3m. Many ecologists believe the juvenile form of houhere, where the leaves are protected within a wiry mass of stems, is an adaptation that reduced the impact of moa browsing.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
Houhere is commonly planted in gardens and restoration projects in many regions. It is hardy and resilient to most diseases. Unlike the closely related ribbonwood, it does not suffer dieback and is therefore longer lived. All houhere species are palatable to goats, deer and possums, and seedlings and saplings tend to be scarce in the presence of these introduced browsers.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
Long-leaved lacebark is easy to grow from fresh seed. It germinates in autumn, growing best with shelter over the first winter and then planted out after the last frost the following spring. The plant prefers sheltered, damp sites until established but is relatively wind hardy so can be included in riparian plantings, mixed native species shelterbelts, and group plantings of native species.
WHICH SPECIES?
Houhere and lacebark are names used for several related species of hoheria, some of which hybridise with each other, so you need to know which species you have. For instance, Hoheria sexstylosa is closely related to ribbonwood ( Hoheria populnea), though leaves of long-leaved lacebark tend to be narrower, with more finely toothed margins.
Use species that are endemic to your region, as increasing hybridisation between species is becoming an issue in some areas.
TRADITIONAL USE
A feature common to all houhere species, and why they are called lacebarks, is the fibrous inner bark. A fibrous layer readily comes away from the bark and wood in several fine layers when dead and dried.
This lace-like inner bark of houhere is used for decorative weaving – kete, headbands, trim on hats and cloaks. The bark was sometimes twisted and plaited into ropes.
WHERE IT GROWS BEST
In the North Island, long-leaved lacebark grows naturally from the Waikato and Coromandel to Wellington and Wairarapa. In the South Island, it grows in Nelson, Marlborough and
Banks Peninsula. However, as with other houhere species, it has been widely planted outside its natural range spreading and hybridising with local species.
Houhere can be spotted in many restoration plantings. They grow faster than many of the other natives, and the rapid growth rates led some early observers to suggest that it could be useful as a commercial pulp crop for paper making.
TREES FOR BEES
Several lacebark species flower profusely in autumn and are some of the few large-flowered native species available for bee foraging at that time, when there are few flowering species available.
Houhere flowers are a perfect example of “open dish” blooms, with exposed nectar and pollen giving ready access for bees. Clustering trees in hedges or rows close to your beehives will make autumn foraging more efficient for the bees.