Tawa
Beilschmiedia tawa

Family: Lauraceae

What it is like

A tall tree. It is evergreen. It grows to 25 m high. The trunk can be 1.5 m across. The bark is smooth and brown. The leaves are pale brown. The leaves are long and narrow and pointed. The flowers are very small. They grow in clusters where the leaf meets the stem. The fruit are 2.5 cm long. They are blue-black.

There are about 100-250 Beilschmeidia species. They are in the tropics. Tawa is used in medicine.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in New Zealand from sea level to 800 m altitude. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, New Zealand (country/location of origin), Tasmania

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten cooked. They were soaked in water, dried and pulped. Caution: The seeds need to be well boiled or treated before being eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, kernels

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Nesodaphne tawa Hook.f.;