Kohekohe

KoheKohe (Dysoxylum spectabile)

A medium-sized tree found in lowland and coastal forests throughout most of the North Island, and also occurs in the Marlborough Sounds.Mature trees grow up to 15m in height, with a trunk up to a metre in diameter. Kohekohe is a fairly close relative of true mahogany, and is also called New Zealand Mahogany because its wood is light, strong and polishes to a fine red colour. Kohekohe is notable for having characteristics normally associated with trees growing in the tropics, for example, its white flowers and red fruit grow directly from the trunk or branches and it has large, glossy, pinnate leaves up to 40mm in length. Maori brew a tea from the leaves as a tonic.