Botanical name:

Clianthus puniceus ‘rosea’

Common name(s):

Kaka Beak, Kowhai Ngutu Kaka, owhai ngutukaka

About:

A rare small bushy shrub, notable for its distinctive appearance, features drooping clusters of vibrant pink or red sharp-tipped flowers that catch the eye. The leaves are composed of many pairs of dull green leaflets, elegantly arranged along a central stalk, contributing to the plant's overall charm. The striking flowers measure approximately 80mm in length and display faint white stripes at the center, adding to their delicate beauty. The fruit takes the form of a green pea-like pod, which splits open to release numerous hard, small, and blotched seeds, ensuring the continuation of this intriguing species.

Natural habitat:

UNKNOWN. Exact habitat preferences are uncertain. Historic records rarely provide any habitat details, and with many it is difficult to determine if the specimens come from Maori plantings. The only known wild population grows in short coastal scrub on talus at the base of eroding mudstone (turbidite) cliffs. Some old herbarium specimens and visits to locations where kakabeak had once been recorded from suggest that the type of habitat the species occupies now is probably indicative of its former habitat preferences.

Growing environment:

Sun & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

North Island. Exact historic range is unclear because Maori planted this species around their settlements. Indeed it has even been suggested that none of the historic sites, or the sole existing one are natural but stem from past Maori plantings. Whatever the case, the few herbarium specimens and historical writings suggest this species might have been endemic to Northland and the eastern Auckland portion of the Hauraki Gulf.

Height: 2m

Flowering:

May flower throughout the year. However plants are most usually found in flower between August and January with a red or pink coloured flower/s

Fruiting:

Seed pods may be present at anytime of the year.

Uses:

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food & container friendly.

How to grow:

Easily grown from seed, semi-hardwood cuttings, and stem layerings. Plants tend to be short-lived in cultivation (2-4 years), and benefit from hard pruning after flowering. Kakabeak is vulnerable to a range of common garden pests which include slugs and snails, it can be severely defoliated, by these animals, and young plants may be killed completely.

**Seed requires scarification before sowing. Hot water treatment works well for this species