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He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Classifying and identifying plants

Me pēwhea tātou e whakarōpū i ngā rauropi koiora?

How should we classify biological organisms?

Illustration by Isobel Te Aho-White from article Te Tapa Ingoa.

Whakapapa

Kua tīkina tēnei pikitia whakaari nā Isobel Te Aho-White, i tētahi ātikara Te Tapa Ingoa, nā Priscilla Wehi rāua ko Hēmi Whaanga, nō roto i te rauemi ipurangi, i Connected. He ātikara tērā e whakatewhatewha ana i tā te Māori nao atu i te whakapapa hei pou tarāwaho māna e whakatapa, e whakarōpū hoki i ngā tupu me ngā kararehe o tōna ao.

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Rights: Nō te Karauna te manatārua

He pūnaha whakarōpū ❘ Taxonomic classification

Kingdom | Mātāmuatanga

Phylum | Pori

Class | Karangatanga

Order | Pūtoi

Family | Whānau

Genus | Puninga

Species | Momo

Nikau Palm (Rhopalostylis sapida).

Ngā nīkau

Rhopalostylis sapida.

Image sourced from iNaturalistNZ. CC BY 4.0.

Rights: Katja Schulz

He pūnaha whakarōpū – te nīkau hei tauira :

MātāmuatangaPlanta (ngā tupu)PoriSpermatophyta (he tupu whai kākano)KarangatangaMagnoliopsida (he tupu whaipua)PūtoiArecales (he momo ‘palm tree’)Whānau Palmae (he momo ‘palm tree’)PuningaRhopalostylis (he karapu te āhua o te taihema uwha)Momosapida (he reka ki te tangata – e ana ki te rito)

Taxonomic classification – nīkau as an example:

KingdomPlanta (plants)PhylumSpermatophyta (seed plants)ClassMagnoliopsida (flowering plants)OrderArecales (palm trees)FamilyPalmae (palm trees)GenusRhopalostylis (club-shaped style)Speciessapida (tasty – referring to the terminal shoot)

He maha ngā āhuatanga e hāngai ana ki te whakarōputanga o ngā rākau me ngā tupu.

Many characteristics are used to classify trees and other plants.

Āe rānei e whai kākano ana te rākau, kāo rānei?

Āe – he rākau whai kākano.

Kāo – he rākau aruhe.

Does the plant/tree produce seeds or not?

Yes – seed-producing plants/trees.

No – tree ferns.

Tree ferns use spores to colonise sites.

Ngā rākau aruhe – te mamaku hei tauira

Ko tā te rākau aruhe, he tuku i ngā pua atua hei taipūwhenua i nga wāhi e tawhiti atu ana i te rākau whaea, mā reira tipu matomato mai ai ngā tupu hou.

Image acknowledgements: Tree fern, gerald.w, CC BY 2.5; Sporangia, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Āe rānei e whaipua ana te rākau, kāo rānei?

Āe – he rākau whaipua.

Kāo – he rākau koroī.

Does the tree produce flowers or not?

Yes – flowering plants.

No – conifers.

Kōwhai and kahikatea trees.

Ngā rākau whaipua me ngā rākau koroī

He rākau whaipua te kōwhai, engari anō te kahikatea.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato

He maha ngā momo rākau whaipua kei roto i ngō tātou ngahere.

There are many species of flower-producing plants and trees in our forests.

Botanical illustrations of tī kōuka, manakura & tītoki.

Ko ngētehi rākau whaipua i Waharoa

Ka whakaahuatia ngētehi tauira ki runga ake: arā, ko te tī kouka (Cordyline australis), te manakura (Melicytus micranthus) me te tītoki (Alectryon excelsus).

Botanical illustrations from Eagle’s Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand by Dr Audrey Eagle. Te Papa Press.

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Rights: Audrey Eagle

He āhuatanga anō e whakarōpu ai i ngā tupu

Four different flower shapes.

Te āhua o ngā pua

Kei tēnei whakaahua ka kitea he tauira o ngā āhua kē o ngētehi pua. Ka whakaahuatia ngētehi tauira ki runga ake: arā, ko te taurepo (Rhabdothamnus solandri), te toropapa (Alseuosmia macrophylla), te hīnau (Elaeocarpus dentatus) me te poroporo (Solanum aviculare).

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Examples of axes of symmetry in pūriri & poroporo flowers.

Ngā rārangi hangarite o ngā pua kē

Kei tēnei whakaahua ka kitea ngētehi tauira o ngā rārangi hangarite o te pua o te pūriri (Vitex lucens) o te poroporo (Solanum aviculare) hoki.

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Rights: Norman Mason
Selection of different fruits.

Ngā āhuatanga o ngā hua

Ko ētahi hua, pērā i te kānga me te pī, he maroke; ko ētahi hua, pērā i te āporo me tōmato, he tuawhiti kē.

Image acknowledgements: Karaka nut and pukatea capsule, Jacqui Geux, CC BY 4.0Poroporo fruit, Murray Dawson, CC BY 4.0. Both sourced from iNaturalistNZPoroporo seeds, John Tann, CC BY 2.0Akakiore follicle and kōwhai, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Table showing examples of different leaf shapes of NZ plants.

Te āhua o ngā rau

He tini hoki ngā āhua kē o ngā momo rau. Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ngētehi tauira o te āhua kē o ngā rau o te kawakawa (Piper excelsum), te pāraharaha (Zealandia pustulata), te houhere (Hoheria populnea), te raurenga (Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum) me te coprosma (Coprosma rotundifolia).

Image acknowledgements: Kawakawa, Judi Lapsley-Miller, CC BY 4.0Hound’s tooth, Jeremy R Rolfe, CC BY 4.0Lacebark, Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0Kidney fern, John Sawyer,  CC BY-NC 4.0Coprosma, Jesse Bythell, CC BY-NC 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Table showing examples of patterns and shapes of leaf margins

Ngā tauira me ngā āhua kei te tapa o ngā rau

Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ngētehi tauira o ngā āhua kei te tapa o ngā rau o te coprosma (Coprosma rotundifolia), te putaputawētā (Carpodetus serratus), te kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium), te kāpuka (Griselinia littoralis) me te manakura (Melicytus micranthus).

Image acknowledgements: Coprosma, kawakawa and swamp māhoe, M Rutherford, CC BY 4.0, sourced from iNaturalistNZBroadleaf, Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0Marbleleaf, Wayne Bennett, CC BY-NC 4.0Coprosma, P.B. Pelser.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
T able showing examples of different kinds of leaf arrangements.

Te whakatakoto i ngā rau

Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ētahi tauira o ngā momo whakarārangi rau.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Table showing examples of different leaf venation patterns.

Te whakarārangi i ngā iarau

Kei tēnei tēpu e kitea ana ngētehi tauira o ngā iarau, pērā i tō te houhere (Hoheria populnea), te tī kōuka (Cordyline australis), te parataniwha (Elatostema rugosum) me te kawakawa (Piper excelsum). 

Image acknowledgements: Lacebark, Phil Bendle, CC BY-SA 3.0New Zealand begonia, Wayne Bennett CC BY-NC 4.0Kawakawa, Judi Lapsley-Miller, CC BY 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
Table showing examples of the bark textures.

Te kakano o te kiri – tāpā, rauangi rānei

Kei tēnei tēpu ka kitea ētahi tauira o te kakano o te kiri o te tōtara (Podocarpus totara), te mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia), te tī kōuka (Cordyline australis), te kauri (Agathis australis), te kōwhai (Sophora microphylla) me te nīkau (Rhopalostylis sapida).

Image acknowledgements: Nīkau, Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0Kōwhai, Jesse Bythell, CC BY-NC 4.0Kauri, Muriel Bendel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Rights: Manatārua: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Ahakoa te maha o ngā āhuatanga kia āhei ai te tangata ki te tautuhi i ngā tupu me te tini o ngā momo rākau kei ō tātou ngahere, mā te whakawhanaungatanga tātou katoa ērā āhuatanga o te te tautuhi rākau e tohunga.

Ka mutu, ka taea rānei pea e tātou ētehi tikanga whakarōpu, ētahi tikang a tautuhi rākau hoki e pai ai ki a tātou, ki ngō tātou hoa, ā, ki ngō tātou whānau anō hoki.

Despite the many characteristics used to identify plants and the numerous tree species in our forests, with familiarity, we can all master tree identification.

What’s more, we might even develop methods of classification and tree identification that are suitable for us, our peers and our families.

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This resource is available as a te reo Māori only Word document file for kura to adapt as required.

He kōrero kōpūtahi ❘ Related content

Mō te tūpono he ngākau whakapuke koe ki ēnei kaupapa: 

You may also be interested in these:

Activities

Videos

Webinar

Watch our webinar He rauemi reo Māori mō ngā rākau – Te reo Māori plant resources for an overview of the bilingual resources created with Dr Norm Mason. 

Ngā hono ❘ Useful links

He whakamihi

Tēnei te mihi nui ki a Mokoro Gillett (Tumuaki o Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha) rāua ko Norman Mason (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research). Tēnā kōrua.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Mokoro Gillett (Principal of Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha) and Norman Mason (Manaaki – Landcare Research).

Published:30 August 2022