Editing Alectryon excelsus

{{Short description|Species of plant endemic to New Zealand}}
{{Redirect|Tītoki|the town in New Zealand's Northland region|Titoki, New Zealand}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=December 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Tītoki
| image = A mature Alectryon excelsus tree in Tangoio, New Zealand (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = A mature tītoki tree near [[Tangoio]]
| genus = Alectryon
| species = excelsus
| authority = [[Joseph Gaertner|Gaertn.]]
}}
[[File:Alectryon excelsus 1.jpg|thumb|''Alectryon excelsus'' – New Zealand native tree, grows up to 12–20 m in height. Tītoki is Māori name, sometimes called New Zealand oak. You can see the ripe fruits, the capsule splits open, revealing a black seed and flashy red aril – food for kererū and other native birds.]]
[[File:CHR 166484.jpg|thumb|''Alectryon excelsus'' leaves and bark. Taken from the bush remnants on the west side of Banks Peninsula.]]
'''''Alectryon excelsus''''', commonly known as '''tītoki''',<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Lehnebach |first=Carlos A. |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124332398 |title=Flora: Celebrating our Botanical World |last2=Regnault |first2=Claire |last3=Rice |first3=Rebecca |last4=Awa |first4=Isaac Te |last5=Yates |first5=Rachel A. |date=2023-11-01 |publisher=Te Papa Press |isbn=978-1-9911509-1-2 |pages=48 |language=English}}</ref> or sometimes '''New Zealand oak''', is a shiny-leaved [[tree]] native to [[New Zealand]]. It is in the family [[Sapindaceae]]. It lives in coastal and lowland [[forest]]s throughout most of the [[North Island]] and from [[Banks Peninsula]] to central [[Westland District|Westland]] in the [[South Island]].

==Description==
''Alectryon excelsus'' is a sub-canopy tree growing to {{Convert|9|m|abbr=off}} in height. It has a twisting trunk with smooth dark bark, spreading branches and [[pinnate]] leaves.<ref name=OtariWiltonBush>{{cite web|last=Parsons|first=Mick|title=Alectryon excelsus (Titoki)|url=http://wellington.govt.nz/~/media/recreation/gardens/files/titoki.pdf|publisher=Wellington City Council|access-date=15 September 2013}}</ref>  Adult leaflets do not have marginal teeth or usually have very few, blunt and shallow marginal teeth and usually leaflet margins are downturned, whereas, in juvenile leaflets have leaflets with strong teeth and flat along the edges.<ref name=":0" /> The length of this tree leaf are around 10–30&nbsp;cm.<ref name=":3" /> This tree has pale grey to almost black skin with a smooth skin texture and has a stem diameter that reaches 50&nbsp;cm or more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Field Guide to New Zealand Native Trees|last=Dawson|first=J|last2=Lucas|first2=R|publisher=Craig Potton Publishing|year=2012}}</ref>

''Alectryon excelsus'' produces small purple [[flower]]s in spring and the [[seed]]s take up to a year to mature.  The female flower has a small anther ('without pollen') and a short stemmed sari, whereas, the male flower has a long dangling stamen around the vestigial ovary.<ref name=":0" /> The colourful [[seed]] is initially contained in a hairy woody [[Capsule (botany)|capsule]] which splits revealing bright red and black unpalatable [[fruit]] (the black portion being the seed).

[[Image:AlectryonExcelsus.jpg|thumb|right|Tītoki foliage]]

== Distribution and habitat ==
''Alectryon excelsus'' is native to New Zealand but can be found in other places around the world. The tree has been located along street verges in [[San Francisco]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Great Trees of New Zealand|last=Burstall|first=S.W.|last2=Sale|first2=E.V.|publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd.|year=1984}}</ref>

''A. excelsus'' can be found from the North Island to the Westland area of the South Island.<ref name=":0" /> The farthest west would be to about [[Bruce Bay]]. It is commonly seen in lowland forests from sea level to 600 metres as well as in coastal forests of the North Island. This tree has been seen all over the South Island.

''A. excelsus'' is likely to grow anywhere from lowland forest areas and exposed coastal area sites along with sandy plains.<ref name=":0" /> In sandy plains, ''Alectryon excelsus'' is often paired with ''[[Beilschmiedia tawa]]'' (tawa). 

This tree likes to grow in the places that have a lot of water such as [[wetland]]s.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand|last=Adams|first=N.M.|last2=Poole|first2=A.L.|publisher=Government Printer|year=1963|location=New Zealand}}</ref> Tītoki tree gravitates towards moist soil which contains many nutrients for growth along with fertile alluvial and sandy soils.<ref name=":0" /> The location characteristics best suited for this tree are: ‘fertile, well-drained soils along riverbanks and associated terraces'.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1486|title=Plant Conservation Network|website=Alectryon excelsus subsp. excelsus}}</ref> The plant can grow in conditions from semi-shade to full sun.<ref name=":1" />

== Life cycle/phenology ==
The ovary develops into a hairy and dense capsule with rusty, brown hair. In about one year, the capsule will mature and divide the red flesh tissue that surrounds one large seed.<ref name=":0" />  From this cleavage, it will show one large seed which is hidden for one year in the capsule and then, the [[seed]]s will fall to the ground and will grow into trees if they fall in the right place to support the growth of the tree or the [[seed]]s will be spread by [[New Zealand]] birds such as the [[tūī]], [[kererū]], [[kōkako]] and black birds.<ref name=":2" /> This tree will flower from spring to early summer.<ref name=":0" /> Some flowers of this tree are bisexual because female flowers and male flowers are not borne on the same tree.<ref name=":0" />

== Predators, parasites and diseases ==
'''Predators'''

The fruit of this tree is usually eaten by possums and birds.<ref name=":0" /> Some insects enjoy chewing the bark and the leaves.<ref name=":2" /> In addition, the leaves on a small tītoki tree will be targeted by [[deer]].<ref name=":2" />

'''Parasites'''

The parasite known as the [[tītoki fruit borer]] destroys the seeds of this tree by living inside the capsule and eating the seeds.<ref name=":2" />

== Uses ==
The tītoki tree is one of the native trees in New Zealand that was traditionally planted by [[Māori people|Māori]]. Usually, the pulp fruit from this tree is consumed by Māori while the wood is commonly used for making trainers and wheels because the [[wood]] is very elastic and strong.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Which Native Tree?|last=Crowe|first=A.|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1992|location=New Zealand}}</ref>  

Furthermore, [[grain]]s from this tree are used and processed into hair oil and the leaves of this tree will be soaked in the oil to provide a fragrant aroma.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" /> The production of oil is very traditional by crushing the tītoki seeds which are later added to a tourniquet-style hemp bag or an elongated woven basket called ''ngehingehi'' (akin to a Brazilian ''[[Cassava#Preparation of bitter cassava|tipiti]]'') that Māori will extract with to release a greenish oil.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tītoki|website=Te Māra Reo |url=https://www.temarareo.org/TMR-Titoki.html |access-date=2025-01-23 |publisher= Benton Family Trust}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Best |first=Elsdon |date=1898 |title=The Art of the Whare Pora: Notes on the Clothing of the Ancient Maori |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TPRSNZ1898-31.2.6.1.65/1 |author-link=Elsdon Best |journal=[[Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand]]|volume=31|page=650}}</ref>

People now use the fruit for liquor production. The fruit attributes sweet and astringent taste factors to the alcohol. This product has been distilled and exported to Australia, Fiji, Japan, and the United Kingdom.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|title=Wardle's Native Trees of New Zealand and their story|last=Wardle|first=John|publisher=Bateson Publishing Ltd|year=2011|location=Wellington}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* Metcalf, Laurie, 2002. ''A Photographic Guide to Trees of New Zealand''. Auckland: New Holland.
* Salmon, J.T., 1986. ''The Native Trees of New Zealand''. Wellington: Heinemann Reed.

==External links==
* [http://nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=1486 New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: ''Alectryon excelsus excelsus'']. Accessed 4 October 2010
* [http://nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=2 New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: ''Alectryon excelsus grandis'']. Accessed 4 October 2010
*{{cite web |title=''Alectryon excelsus'' Gaertn. |work=Atlas of Living Australia |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/NZOR-4-49400}}
*{{Commons-inline}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1955888}}

[[Category:Alectryon (plant)|excelsus]]
[[Category:Trees of New Zealand]]