pohutakawa

Pōhutakawa Junior Journal 45
Because the pōhutukawa has red flowers and it blooms in December, it is often thought of as New Zealand’s christmas ✓ tree. The pōhutukawa is special to Maori, and it provides a  habitat  ✓     and food for many creatures.
Pōhutukawa prefer to grow in warm places by the sea, and they have special   features which help them grow in sandy soil. The top of its leaves are shiny and green with a      waxy coating which helps protect them from the salt, sun and dry conditions.
The   bark is rough which protects the tree from losing water through its trunk and branches. New flower buds have a special covering which helps     protect ✓  them from wind and salt. The roots grow deep into the soil or sand. They take water from the ground to help them grow and stand up.
Pōhutukawa provide a home and food for birds, sea insects and other creatures. Some   seabirds such as shags make their nests in their branches. Other birds, like the tui, eat the  nectar                 from the flowers. Lizards and pekapeka also like to eat the nectar. Insects such as weevils and moths eat the leaves, flowers, wood and bark, and live in the dead    leaves under the trees.