póhutukawa

Name  EDMON   ✓ Date 4.4.2019

Pōhutakawa Junior Journal 45 

Because the pōhutukawa has red flowers and it blooms in December, it
is often thought of as New Zealand’s   christmas            tree.
The pōhutukawa is special to Maori, and it provides a summer habitat         
and food for many creatures. Pōhutukawa prefer to grow in warm places by
the sea, and they have special    features ✓     which help them grow in
sandy soil. The top of its leaves are shiny and green with a   waxy  ✓ coating
which helps protect them from the salt, sun and dry conditions.
The    bark  ✓  is rough which protects the tree from losing water through
its trunk and branches. New flower buds have a special covering which
helps  protect   them from wind and salt. The roots grow deep into the soil or
sand.
They take water from the ground to help them grow and stand up. 

Pōhutukawa provide a home and food for birds,  insects       and other
creatures. Some   seabirds such as shags make their nests in their branches.
Other birds, like the tui, eat the nectar from the flowers. Lizards and pekapeka
also like to eat the nectar. Insects such as weevils and moths eat the leaves,
flowers, wood and bark, and live in the dead   leaves       under the trees. 

protect	christmas	habitat	waxy	insects
seabirds	Nectar	leaves	features	bark

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