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Dodonaea viscosa. Akeake.

Name document
Chemistry
Construction
Domestic
Environment
Fishing and Hunting
Medicinal
Pastime
Scent

Click to collapse Previous names Info

Dodonea spathulata

Click to collapse Māori names Info

AKEAKEakerautangiakeramarama  (?? Best  - Tuhoe name. See note in Pastimes) 

Click to collapse Common names Info

Click to collapse Fishing and hunting Info

Used on Chatham Islands for constructing stern-pieces of waka pahi (Best 1925).

Click to collapse Domestic Info

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

Click to collapse Construction Info

Used for beams in storage houses (Best 1916).

Click to collapse Scent Info

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.

Click to collapse Environment Info

Excellent shelter tree on coasts (Kirk 1889).

Grove of ake trees near Te Onepu, on the Whirinaki, known as Te Hokowhitu a Ngai-Tawha (Best 1907).

Click to collapse Medicinal Info

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.

Click to collapse Chemistry Info

Compounds isolated from the leaves, seeds, flowers and fruit listed in Cambie 1976 with references.

Click to collapse Pastime Info

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)

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Click to collapse Metadata Info

f9766d6d-2062-44d6-bec4-be0771e5ac46
name
28 May 2007
1 July 2020
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