''Hoheria angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved lacebark or narrow-leaved houhere, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Malvaceae,

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

tree or shrub with a weeping habit and grows to tall. Known as Houhere or Houhi in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, the bark of the tree was occasionally used for traditional textiles, similar to the traditional use of '' Hoheria populnea''. It is commonly described in literature with a

diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

(DBH) of up to , but botanist Hugh Wilson found a specimen in Hinewai Reserve with a DBH of . It has grey-green to dark green leaves, and white flowers from December to February. It has a divaricating small leaved habit while young until it gets to about high. The adult leaves are narrow and coarsely toothed hence the common name of ''narrow-leaved lacebark''. Distribution is larger than any of the other lacebark species and can be found mostly in the eastern

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

, and in the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

from

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

down.

Etymology

''Hoheria'' is derived from the Māori vernacular name for this

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

, ''houhere'' or ''hoihere''.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 49, 202 ''Angustifolia'' means 'with narrow leaves'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13919910 angustifolia Endemic flora of New Zealand Taxa named by Étienne Raoul