Dodonaea viscosa. Akeake.
Previous names
Previous names
Dodonea spathulata
Māori names
AKEAKE, akerautangi, ake, ramarama (?? Best - Tuhoe name. See note in Pastimes)
Common names
Fishing and hunting
Used on Chatham Islands for constructing stern-pieces of waka pahi (Best 1925).
Domestic
Used as hardwood for war implements, carved walking staves (Taylor 1855; Colenso 1868a, 1868b; Best 1907)
The heaviest of New Zealand woods. Sheaves, axe-handles, etc. (Colenso 1868a).
Digging spades (Colenso 1881a ; Best 1925)
Weights on drill shafts sometimes made of heavy hard wood, such as ake or maire. Te Whatahoro in Best 1912.
Among museum artefacts he tested Wallace 1989 found 4 weapons and a hoto made of akeake
Construction
Used for beams in storage houses (Best 1916).
Scent
Leaves used for scent (Best 1942).
See passage in White 1887, vol iv, p.115. One of the ingredients listed in the passage concerning a preparation of scented oils is akerautangi. Beattie 1920 refers to scent of ake-rautaki in relation to Takitimu Mountains - but D.viscosa doesn't grow there.
Environment
Medicinal
Juice rich in tannin - applied as a styptic (Faulkner 1958)
Used medicinally in many countries - externally for burns and scalds, internally to reduce fever. Leaves chewed for toothache. Used in Peru in the same way as coca leaves. Used elsewhere for a number of diseases (Brooker, Cambie and Cooper 1987).
See Riley 1994 for information on medicinal uses of related plants elsewhere in the world.
Chemistry
Compounds isolated from the leaves, seeds, flowers and fruit listed in Cambie 1976 with references.
Pastime
Possibly the "Olearia" termed ramarama by Tūhoe, and used for making certain toys, such as tops and kororohu. Thought to make more sound than most other woods (Best 1907 p.221)
