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Dicksonia squarrosa. Tree fern. Whekī.

Name document
Construction
Food

Click to collapse Māori names Info

WHEKI, atewhekī, tūākura (Taylor 1855), tūōkura (Tuhoe term, Best 1907), pēhiakura, uruuruwhenua, tio, tirawa (all in Williams 1971).  Best 1916 says tirawa a Ngāti-Pūkeko term.  pakue (Beever 1991) 

Pit for root crops, lined with slabs of stems of tree fern: rua tirawa

A shed with walls of tree fern slabs: whare tirawa

Click to collapse Common names Info

tree fern, wheki

Click to collapse Food Info

"The iho (heart) of the katote [Cyathea smithii] is good to eat, but that of the others [poka and wheki] is bitter. "(Beattie 1920)

Click to collapse Construction Info

Trunks used for lining storage sheds, pits. Fronds used to cover pit floors (Best 1916).

Much used in construction of rough huts - whare tirawa. Often used for cooking sheds (Best 1907)

Click to collapse Metadata Info

5ea7921f-c274-41c2-9bcb-8444c7d96a87
name
28 May 2007
30 October 2023
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