Tawari (Ixerba brexioides)
Tawari grows up to 15 m with a trunk up to 1 m diameter. Its bark is brown and smooth, and its leaves are thick, narrow and coarsely serrated (6-16 x 1-4 cm). It can be mistaken for semi-mature Lancewood or rewarewa. It produces a spectacular mass of white flowers in summer. Flowers (about 3 cm in diameter) are held on panicles at the tips of branches, and have five petals, five sepals, long stamens and pink-tipped anthers. Seed capsules are green (1-1.5 cm diameter) and split into five valves containing fleshy, cream tissue and up to six black seeds set on orange-red arils. It occurs in lowland to lower-montane forest from Kaitaia to Waitomo and Te Urewera and is often relatively abundant on high ridges in the Waitakere Ranges.