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He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Classifying and identifying plants

Me pēwhea tātou e whakarōpū i ngā rauropi koiora?

How should we classify biological organisms?

Illustration by Isobel Te Aho-White from article Te Tapa Ingoa.

Whakapapa – classifying and identifying

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Kua tīkina tēnei pikitia whakaari nā Isobel Te Aho-White, i tētahi ātikara Te Tapa Ingoa, nā Priscilla Wehi rāua ko Hēmi Whaanga, nō roto i te rauemi ipurangi, i Connected. He ātikara tērā e whakatewhatewha ana i tā te Māori nao atu i te whakapapa hei pou tarāwaho māna e whakatapa, e whakarōpū hoki i ngā tupu me ngā kararehe o tōna ao.

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Rights: Nō te Karauna te manatārua
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He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Taxonomic classification

Kingdom | Mātāmuatanga

Phylum | Pori

Class | Karangatanga

Order | Pūtoi

Family | Whānau

Genus | Puninga

Species | Momo

Nikau Palm (Rhopalostylis sapida).

Ngā nīkau

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Rhopalostylis sapida.

Image sourced from iNaturalistNZ. CC BY 4.0.

Rights: Katja Schulz
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He pūnaha whakarōpū – te nīkau hei tauira:

MātāmuatangaPlanta (ngā tupu)
Pori
Spermatophyta (he tupu whai kākano)
Karangatanga
Magnoliopsida (he tupu whaipua)
Pūtoi
Arecales (he momo ‘palm tree’)
Whānau
Palmae (he momo ‘palm tree’)
Puninga
Rhopalostylis (he karapu te āhua o te taihema uwha)
Momo
sapida (he reka ki te tangata – e pā ana ki te rito)

Taxonomic classification – nīkau as an example:

KingdomPlanta (plants)
Phylum
Spermatophyta (seed plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)
Order
Arecales (palm trees)
Family
Palmae (palm trees)
Genus
Rhopalostylis (club-shaped style)
Species
sapida (tasty – referring to the terminal shoot)

He maha ngā āhuatanga e hāngai ana ki te whakarōputanga o ngā rākau me ngā tupu.

Many characteristics are used to classify trees and other plants.

Āe rānei e whai kākano ana te rākau, kāo rānei?

Āe – he rākau whai kākano. 

Kāo – he rākau aruhe.

Does the plant/tree produce seeds or not?

Yes – seed-producing plants/trees.

No – tree ferns.

Tree ferns use spores to colonise sites.

Ngā rākau aruhe – te mamaku hei tauira

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Ko tā te rākau aruhe, he tuku i ngā pua atua hei taipūwhenua i nga wāhi e tawhiti atu ana i te rākau whaea, mā reira tipu matomato mai ai ngā tupu hou.

Image acknowledgements: Tree fern, gerald.w, CC BY 2.5; Sporangia, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Āe rānei e whaipua ana te rākau, kāo rānei?

Āe – he rākau whaipua.

Kāo – he rākau koroī.

Does the tree produce flowers or not?

Yes – flowering plants.

No – conifers.

Kōwhai and kahikatea trees.

Ngā rākau whaipua me ngā rākau koroī

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He rākau whaipua te kōwhai, engari anō te kahikatea.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato
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He maha ngā momo rākau whaipua kei roto i ngō tātou ngahere. 

There are many species of flower-producing plants and trees in our forests.

Botanical illustrations of tī kōuka, manakura & tītoki.

Ko ngētehi rākau whaipua i Waharoa

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Ka whakaahuatia ngētehi tauira ki runga ake: arā, ko te tī kouka (Cordyline australis), te manakura (Melicytus micranthus) me te tītoki (Alectryon excelsus).

Botanical illustrations from Eagle’s Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand by Dr Audrey Eagle. Te Papa Press.

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Rights: Audrey Eagle
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He āhuatanga anō e whakarōpu ai i ngā tupu

Four different flower shapes.

Te āhua o ngā pua

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Kei tēnei whakaahua ka kitea he tauira o ngā āhua kē o ngētehi pua. Ka whakaahuatia ngētehi tauira ki runga ake: arā, ko te taurepo (Rhabdothamnus solandri), te toropapa (Alseuosmia macrophylla), te hīnau (Elaeocarpus dentatus) me te poroporo (Solanum aviculare).

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Examples of axes of symmetry in pūriri & poroporo flowers.

Ngā rārangi hangarite o ngā pua kē

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Kei tēnei whakaahua ka kitea ngētehi tauira o ngā rārangi hangarite o te pua o te pūriri (Vitex lucens) o te poroporo (Solanum aviculare) hoki.

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Rights: Norman Mason
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Selection of different fruits.

Ngā āhuatanga o ngā hua

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Ko ētahi hua, pērā i te kānga me te pī, he maroke; ko ētahi hua, pērā i te āporo me tōmato, he tuawhiti kē.

Image acknowledgements: Karaka nut and pukatea capsule, Jacqui Geux, CC BY 4.0; Poroporo fruit, Murray Dawson, CC BY 4.0. Both sourced from iNaturalistNZ. Poroporo seeds, John Tann, CC BY 2.0; Akakiore follicle and kōwhai, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Table showing examples of different leaf shapes of NZ plants.

Te āhua o ngā rau

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He tini hoki ngā āhua kē o ngā momo rau. Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ngētehi tauira o te āhua kē o ngā rau o te kawakawa (Piper excelsum), te pāraharaha (Zealandia pustulata), te houhere (Hoheria populnea), te raurenga (Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum) me te coprosma (Coprosma rotundifolia).

Image acknowledgements: Kawakawa, Judi Lapsley-Miller, CC BY 4.0; Hound’s tooth, Jeremy R Rolfe, CC BY 4.0; Lacebark, Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Kidney fern, John Sawyer,  CC BY-NC 4.0; Coprosma, Jesse Bythell, CC BY-NC 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Table showing examples of patterns and shapes of leaf margins

Ngā tauira me ngā āhua kei te tapa o ngā rau

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Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ngētehi tauira o ngā āhua kei te tapa o ngā rau o te coprosma (Coprosma rotundifolia), te putaputawētā (Carpodetus serratus), te kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium), te kāpuka (Griselinia littoralis) me te manakura (Melicytus micranthus).

Image acknowledgements: Coprosma, kawakawa and swamp māhoe, M Rutherford, CC BY 4.0, sourced from iNaturalistNZ; Broadleaf, Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marbleleaf, Wayne Bennett, CC BY-NC 4.0; Coprosma, P.B. Pelser, PhytoImages.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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T able showing examples of different kinds of leaf arrangements.

Te whakatakoto i ngā rau

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Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ētahi tauira o ngā momo whakarārangi rau.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Table showing examples of different leaf venation patterns.

Te whakarārangi i ngā iarau

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Kei tēnei tēpu e kitea ana ngētehi tauira o ngā iarau, pērā i tō te houhere (Hoheria populnea), te tī kōuka (Cordyline australis), te parataniwha (Elatostema rugosum) me te kawakawa (Piper excelsum). 

Image acknowledgements: Lacebark, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0; New Zealand begonia, Wayne Bennett CC BY-NC 4.0; Kawakawa, Judi Lapsley-Miller, CC BY 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Table showing examples of the bark textures.

Te kakano o te kiri – tāpā, rauangi rānei

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Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ētahi tauira o te kakano o te kiri o te tōtara (Podocarpus totara), te mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia), te tī kōuka (Cordyline australis), te kauri (Agathis australis), te kōwhai (Sophora microphylla) me te nīkau (Rhopalostylis sapida).

Image acknowledgements: Nīkau, Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0; Kōwhai, Jesse Bythell, CC BY-NC 4.0; Kauri, Muriel Bendel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
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Ahakoa te maha o ngā āhuatanga kia āhei ai te tangata ki te tautuhi i ngā tupu me te tini o ngā momo rākau kei ō tātou ngahere, mā te whakawhanaungatanga tātou katoa ērā āhuatanga o te te tautuhi rākau e tohunga.   

Ka mutu, ka taea rānei pea e tātou ētehi tikanga whakarōpu, ētahi tikanga tautuhi rākau hoki e pai ai ki a tātou, ki ngō tātou hoa, ā, ki ngō tātou whānau anō hoki.

Despite the many characteristics used to identify plants and the numerous tree species in our forests, with familiarity, we can all master tree identification.

What’s more, we might even develop methods of classification and tree identification that are suitable for us, our peers and our families.

Download

This resource is available as a te reo Māori only Word document file for kura to adapt as required.

He pūnaha whakarōpū

WORD•9.79 MB

He kōrero kōpūtahi ❘ Related content

  • Ngā rākau ❘ Trees

  • He aha hoki tērā rākau? ❘ Tree leaves

  • Te haenga me te ruinga o te kākano ❘ Pollination and seed dispersal

  • Ngā kākano ❘ Seeds

  • Ngā rau o te rākau ❘ Tree leaves

Naming and classifying new species from a Māori understanding.

Mō te tūpono he ngākau whakapuke koe ki ēnei kaupapa: 

You may also be interested in these:

Activities

  • Native plant leaves – DIY classification system

  • DIY fern classification

  • Collecting kōwhai seeds | Kohikohia ngā kākano kōwhai

  • Planting kōwhai seeds | Whakatōngia kākano kōwhai

  • Observing kōwhai | Āta titiro kōwhai

Videos

  • Whakapapa and biodiversity – similarities between biodiversity and whakapapa from a Māori perspective.

  • Plants and whakapapa – eco-sourcing from a Māori perspective.

  • Ruru, restoration and whakapapa – why we need to consider the function of exotic trees during repo restoration.

Webinar

Watch our webinar He rauemi reo Māori mō ngā rākau – Te reo Māori plant resources for an overview of the bilingual resources created with Dr Norm Mason. 

Ngā hono ❘ Useful links

Flora Finder – Department of Botany, University of Otago, Te Tari Huaota te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo

Experiencing native trees in your green space – Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai

He whakamihi

Tēnei te mihi nui ki a Mokoro Gillett (Tumuaki o Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha) rāua ko Norman Mason (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research). Tēnā kōrua.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Mokoro Gillett (Principal of Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha) and Norman Mason (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research).

Glossary

Published: 30 August 2022
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