Matagouri
Encyclopedia
Discaria toumatou, Matagouri, is a plant endemic
to New Zealand
. An alternative but disused name for the plant is Wild Irishman. The name matagouri is how speakers of English heard the South Island pronunciation of the Māori
name "matakoura".
Matagouri is a tangle branched, extremely thorny shrub or small tree up to five metres tall. It has small leathery leaves close to the thorns, which are only abundant in spring, or the shade. The flowers are tiny and white with no petals.
It is most common in tussock grassland, stony areas and river beds. It is common in the eastern South Island
, and found occasionally in the North Island
south of the Waikato river
. As with other Discaria species it fixes nitrogen
from the atmosphere with the help of symbiotic
bacteria
of the Frankia
genus in its roots.
As a native plant it has complete protection on public conservation land and a degree of protection on private land under the Resource Management Act
. In a notable case a 400 ha area of matagouri forest, including trees that may have been 150 years old, was illegally sprayed at the head of Lake Sumner
in 2001.
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. An alternative but disused name for the plant is Wild Irishman. The name matagouri is how speakers of English heard the South Island pronunciation of the Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name "matakoura".
Matagouri is a tangle branched, extremely thorny shrub or small tree up to five metres tall. It has small leathery leaves close to the thorns, which are only abundant in spring, or the shade. The flowers are tiny and white with no petals.
It is most common in tussock grassland, stony areas and river beds. It is common in the eastern South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, and found occasionally in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
south of the Waikato river
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
. As with other Discaria species it fixes nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
from the atmosphere with the help of symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
of the Frankia
Frankia
Frankia is a genus of nitrogen fixing, filamentous bacteria that live in symbiosis with actinorhizal plants, similar to the Rhizobia bacteria that are found in the root nodules of legumes in the Fabaceae family. Bacteria of this genus also form root nodules.The genus Frankia was originally named by...
genus in its roots.
As a native plant it has complete protection on public conservation land and a degree of protection on private land under the Resource Management Act
Resource Management Act
The Resource Management Act passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water...
. In a notable case a 400 ha area of matagouri forest, including trees that may have been 150 years old, was illegally sprayed at the head of Lake Sumner
Lake Sumner
Lake Sumner, known as Hokakura in Māori, is a lake situated 100 km northwest of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The lake is located in the Lake Sumner Forest Park; the Hurunui River and several other lakes also lie within the park.The Lake Sumner region is a popular area...
in 2001.
External links
- Matagouri at the Department of Conservation