

Nestegis
Botanical name: Nestegis
Nestegis
Botanical name: Nestegis


Description

There are five currently accepted species in the genus: three species are endemic to New Zealand, while one can be found on New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Another is restricted to Hawaiʻi. Nestegis species are evergreen trees or shrubs. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, and coriaceous. The inflorescence is axillary, decussate, sometimes terminal and somewhat paniculate. The corolla is either absent or four-lobed with a short tube. The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed.


Species of Nestegis


White maire
White maire is often found on steep slopes, ridgelines, and riparian forests. This tree is great at attracting birds, especially the kereru who love its fruit. Its scientific name lanceolata means "lance-shaped," a reference to its leaves.

Narrow leaved maire
There are five currently accepted species in the genus: three species are endemic to New Zealand, while one can be found on New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Another is restricted to Hawaiʻi. Narrow leaved maire species are evergreen trees or shrubs. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, and coriaceous. The inflorescence is axillary, decussate, sometimes terminal and somewhat paniculate. The corolla is either absent or four-lobed with a short tube. The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed.

Hawai'i olive
It is found on all major islands at elevations of 30 to 1300 m in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests, and, especially, dry forests. It usually reaches a height of 6 m with a trunk diameter of 20 cm, but may reach 20 m in height with a trunk diameter of 90 cm.

Coastal maire
There are five currently accepted species in the genus: three species are endemic to New Zealand, while one can be found on New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Another is restricted to Hawaiʻi. Coastal maire species are evergreen trees or shrubs. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire, and coriaceous. The inflorescence is axillary, decussate, sometimes terminal and somewhat paniculate. The corolla is either absent or four-lobed with a short tube. The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed.

Large-leaved maire
Large-leaved maire (Nestegis cunninghamii) is a tree that is the victim of its own usefulness since harvesting for valuable timber has led to a decline in its numbers. It is now only found in limited forest locations although it isn't yet classed as threatened in its native New Zealand. The epithet cunninghamii honors the English explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham (1791 – 1839).




Scientific Classification
