BEHEILSCHMIEDIA TAWA, Bentham and Hook. f. 
THE TAWA. 
OrpER—LAURINEA. 
(Plate CXXVI.) 
Tue tawa was discovered by Banks and Solander, who gave it the MS. name of 
Laurus salicifolia: it was, however, first described by Allan Cunningham, who 
named it L. Tawa, but it is to be regretted that the original specific name was 
not maintained. In the ‘*‘ Flora Nove-Zelandiz”’ Sir Joseph Hooker removed it 
to Nesodaphne, which has been merged in Bezlschmiedia by Bentham and Hooker 
f, in their ‘‘ Genera Plantarum.” 
The tawa is a handsome evergreen tree, with slender branches and graceful 
willow-like foliage, occurring in such abundance as to constitute the greater 
portion of the forests in many northern districts. It is from 5oft. to 8oft. high, 
with a trunk from rft. to 4ft. in diameter, clothed with thin smooth black bark: 
on the margins of forests the trunk is often short, or divided from the base into 
spreading arms: usually it is of considerable length, although of:en unsym- 
metrical and irregular in growth. The branches are usually short, slender and 
silky when young, clothed with alternate leaves 2in. to 4in. long and from 
Zin. to #in. broad, carried on slender leaf-stalks: specimens with much broader 
leaves are occasionally met with: usually they are very narrow, tapering to 
a sharp point, smooth on both surfaces, and sometimes of a pale bluish-green 
beneath. The flowers are green, minute, about 751n. in diameter, and arranged 
in panicles, which spring from the axils of the leaves near the tips of the 
branches: the panicles are from 2in. to 3in. long, with very slender spreading 
branches and comparatively few flowers, which are carried on very slender 
pedicels, and resemble those of 6. Tarazri in structure, but are perfectly smooth. 
The fruit resembles a damson, and is less than rin. in length, one-seeded. 
PROPERTIES AND USES. 
The wood of the tawa is white, very straight in the grain, and is easily 
split: when thoroughly seasoned it is very hard and somewhat brittle. 
Until recently it was supposed to be of but little value; but during the last 
six years it has been largely utilised for dairy-ware, buckets, tubs, casks, and 
more especially for butter-kegs, for which it appears to be superior to any other 
New Zealand timber. 
It was formerly used by the Maoris for their bird-spears, which Mr. Colenso 
states were from 30ft. to 36ft. long; he adds that only two spears were obtained 
from a tree, and as these had to be chopped out with stone implements it is no 
wonder that two years were required for the completion of a single spear: the 
long straight rods were also used for battens for the roofs and sides of their 
houses. The outer layer of the fruit was formerly used for food: the leaves are 
aromatic, but do not appear to have been utilised. 
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