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Harakeke weaving varieties – complete list of cultivars in the Rene Orchison collection

Glossary

AOHANGA, AWANGA (1)

Source:

Waiomatatini, East Coast, North Island.

Description:

Medium height. White stripes along the pale green leaf.

Use:

Decorative cultivar. Selwyn (1847) and Best (1909) mention its strong coarse fibre used for rough garments, floormats and kete. "Ko te wharanui, ko te awanga tona ingoa he taroa" (Williams 1971). The Awanga used by the NZ Department of Agriculture earlier this century in breeding trials for the flax industry is a different cultivar.

Images (click to enlarge):

ARAWA (42)

Source:

Rotoiti area.

Description:

Straight, fairly long, medium green blades. Up to 2.5 m tall. Reddish-orange margin and keel. Very high flower heads but seldom flowers.

Use:

Excellent muka harakeke. The best Mrs Orchiston found for producing long strands of clean fibre with hāro method (stripping with a shell). Good for piupiu because it is so easy to prepare. Especially good for ladies piupiu because of the length although the prepared strips do not dry as strong as other cultivars. When boiled for one minute, it dries to a cream colour. Ideal for whenu and aho in kākahu and for muka kete.

Images (click to enlarge):

ATARAU (12)

Source:

Pipiriki, Whanganui River.

Description:

A handsome bush, quite a contrast with a distinctive deep blue tone about its tall bright bronzy leaves.

Straight, strong, pointed leaf with red tonings inside the old blades. Very blue bloom on the back of the blades. Very few flower heads.

Use:

Strips well and fairly easily, but not really a muka variety.

When Rene experimented with this harakeke, the scrape turned a lovely yellow-gold the same day. When boiled for one minute, strips dry to deep green/fawn shadings. Fawn-brown when unboiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

ATE (21)

Source:

Pipiriki, Wanganui River.

Description:

One of the favourites in the Wanganui River district.

A fine looking bush with tall, straight, wide, dark blue-green blades with a definite blue bloom on the underside of the leaves. Margin and keel very dark reddish brown. No kōrari.

Use:

Does not strip well, but good for strong kete. The Flax Commissioner in Wanganui (1871) recorded its use for eel nets and baskets. Dries to a clear creamy white when boiled for one minute, more brown when unboiled. May be used for piupiu, although the para is inclined to adhere, but it dries hard and strong.

Rene’s friend from this area sent a telegram to tell her she had sent the plant – "Ate flax sent today." The Post Office assuming a spelling error changed it to "Eight flax sent today"!

Images (click to enlarge):

ATEWHIKI (20)

Source:

Taranaki. One of cultivars sent to Botanic Gardens, Wellington in 1870.

Description:

Tall, bendy leaves. Interesting looking bush showing blades of several different shades. Some older ones quite yellow with black margins and keel. Young blades bronze with red veining on margins and keel. Very glaucous blue on underside of blades (i.e., covered with bloom as on a plum, or cabbage leaf). Bright salmon red inside base of blade when cut. Flowers well.

Use:

Good for whāriki and kete as it dries to the colour of corn producing effective decoration. Not a muka variety, but has a nice white fibre. Not easily stripped.

Images (click to enlarge):

AWAHOU (25)

Source:

Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Description:

A superior, handsome cultivar with short, wide, strong, pale green blades. Some of the blades measure 15 cm across. Distinct blunt, Gothic-shaped tips. The strong fibre shows clearly through the green skin. Orange-red keel and margin. Short kōrari with dense groups of blunt seed pods.

Use:

Makes very good strong kete which dry very white after boiling for one minute. Short, very strong and may be used for piupiu, but not really a muka variety.

Images (click to enlarge):

HŪHIROA (19)

Source:

Botanic Gardens, Wellington. Sent from Taranaki in 1870. Identified by Mrs Orchiston in 1972. Also sent to Britain earlier this century. Grew well in Ireland.

Description:

Very tall, up to 3 metres. Tapering blades, pale bluish-green in colour. No kōrari. Dark brown edge with dark reddish-brown keel.

Use:

In Rene’s experience, this harakeke does not produce very good fibre. The early records however suggest that Huhiroa was well regarded in Taranaki and Wanganui. Its long fibre was of excellent quality and easily stripped. Used for fine mats, garments, fishing lines and ropes.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/huhiroa.html

KŌHUNGA (16)

Source:

Maniapoto area.

Description:

Tall, rather droopy blue-green blades. Glaucous blue-green on underside. Black margin and keel. Many very tall flower heads with small seed pods.

Use:

Long recognised as a fine cultivar. One of the favourites of the Maniapoto people. Strips well into long, silky white fibres. Mrs Rangimarie Hetet and her daughter Diggeress Te Kanawa use this harakeke for the whenu in their finest kākahu. For kete, when boiled for one minute, the leaf dries to a very pale creamy fawn. Darker when unboiled.

Rene writes: "A time of great pride for all was when Aromea Te Maipi, a tutor in Māori weaving, came to my plantation and together we collected a bundle of the superior whītau blades from Kōhunga and Taeore. Members of the Māori Women’s Welfare League helped her to prepare the whītau and feathers which Aromea used to weave a beautiful little muka and feather kete. This was presented to Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales, when she and His Royal Highness Charles, The Prince of Wales, visited Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Gisborne in April 1983.”

Images (click to enlarge):

KAUHANGAROA (23)

Source:

Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay.

Description:

A decorative variety which Rene has not seen growing elsewhere. Mentioned in the Flax Commissioners Reports on Hawke’s Bay. Very tall, straight blades with a 3–7 mm red margin along the sides of the bronze-green blades, which shows up brightly when the sun is behind the bush. The centre of the young blades is pale green, then shaded in maroon out to the crimson margin. There is 5–7 cm of crimson on the tips of the blades. A very prolific flowerer.

Use:

Mainly ornamental. Dries out to an uninteresting brown shade. Rather poor fibre. Nairn (Flax Commissioners Report 1870) says it was used only for baskets and matting, and that the fibre easily breaks with a jerk. The strong kōrari were tied into bundles and lashed together to make rafts.

Images (click to enlarge):

MĀENEENE (3)

Source:

Urewera.

Description:

Tall, bendy, but strong durable blades. Medium green with red margins and keel. Very bright salmon red at base of plant and inside the base of the cut blade. Has few, very tall kōrari.

Use:

A favourite whāriki harakeke in the Urewera. Rene writes "The 88 year-old lady who gave me my original plant was a very skilled craftswoman who had helped produce many fine patterned whāriki which have been in use for many years in the local meeting houses tucked in the hills of the Urewera.” Also a fine kete variety—do not boil, but drag through boiling water. The roots were roasted on hot stones, then macerated into a very effective poultice for abscesses.

Images (click to enlarge):

MAKAWEROA (30)

MAKAWEROA

Also known as Hiraka—a name for fibre resembling silk.

Source:

Torere, Eastern Bay of Plenty. From Mick Pendergrast.

Description:

Medium height, fairly straight, strong, soft leaf. Pale green with orange-brown margin and keel. Very few kōrari. Seldom flowers.

Use:

Strips easily and cleanly (with care) into white, delicate, silky fibre. Needs hardly any dressing to prepare it for use in soft, fine muka kete.

Images (click to enlarge):

MATAWAI TANIWHA (37)

Source:

Matawai, near Waioeka Gorge, East Coast.

Description:

Very tall, slightly bendy variety. Leaves a yellowy–bronze colour with darker shadings. Reddish–brown margin and keel. Very tall seed heads. Bright salmon red inside cut blade

Use:

Kete variety. Also good for whāriki as it produces long strips which dry to a corn yellow shade. Gives good contrast when used in patterns. Better not boiled. For whāriki just drag through boiling water. Roots used for medicinal purposes.

Images (click to enlarge):

MAWARU (9)

Source:

Arawa

Description:

Medium to tall bush, bendy, wide, soft and shiny blades. Pale yellow-green with a very pale cream margin and keel. Produces flower heads on very dark purple stems, and later, rather droopy, twisted seed pods.

Use:

Easy to work with. Good for green kete, toys, etc. Do not boil.

Images (click to enlarge):

MOTU-O-NUI (31)

Source:

Urewera.

Description:

One of the few traditional variegated cultivars. Medium height, straight, strong, very wide green blades unevenly striped with white. Gothic pointed. Very few, very small flower heads. Much wider blades than Aohanga.

Use:

Ornamental. Strong but poor quality fibre.

Images (click to enlarge):

NGARO (29)

NGARO

(sometimes Ngaru)

Source:

Moutoa Estate, Foxton.

Description:

Very tall (up to 3 metres), straight. Bush has dark, bronzy-green appearance. The strong fibres show clearly through the skin of the blades. The young blades are a distinct bronze shade and are relieved by a scarlet line along the centre of the blades.

Use:

Recognised last century as one of the best cultivars for milling. Strong, hard fibre, well suited for cordage. Very good piupiu harakeke especially for ladies piupiu, as it has length and the para comes away easily with a shell. The long fibres are surprisingly fine and silky for the strength of the blades. Ideal for whenu and aho in cloaks as it requires very little dressing. Makes strong kete. Inclined to dry out into mixed greenish to fawn tones when boiled for one minute. Darker when unboiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

NGUTUNUI (50)

Source:

Maniapoto.

Description:

Short, bendy variety smudged with reddish shadings on sides and tips of blades. Overall bush has a yellow-bronze appearance particularly in the older leaves. Despite brownish tips and markings it is different from Tupurupuru.

Use:

Good for kete and whāriki if blades are long enough as it dries into mixed greenish-tan shades. If long enough can, with care, produce good muka for whenu in kete, wall-hangings, etc. The NZ Department of Agriculture (1908) described its fibre as strong and elastic, thin but tough. In strength, the fibre was by far the best of 10 cultivars tested. It was said to be highly prized for making fine mats and cloaks. Best (1909) said that in the Urewera nets and snares were made from the undressed leaves.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/ngutunui.html

OPIKI (43)

Source:

Near Foxton.

Description:

Very tall, wide, medium green blades. Few kōrari.

Use:

Handy all purpose harakeke. Strips fairly well, although para is inclined to adhere. In tests for piupiu making, dried quite hard but strip needs to be cut to about 25 mm. Not as strong as other cultivars. Dries to a pale fawn.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/opiki.html

OUE (26)

Source:

Tairawhiti (East Coast).

Description:

Short, strong, straight, pale green blades with blunt Gothic points particularly on the young blades. Similar to Awahou but not such wide blades. Margin and keel are brownish orange. Few short kōrari with heavy, blunt seed pods.

The Oue described in some early records and given the synonym Tāpoto corresponds to the harakeke Tāpoto in this collection. Best (1909) says that Urewera Māori distinguished two sexes of Oue: the male, with longer fibre, more pointed and reddish leaves, and harsh fibre with a reddish tinge and the female, with shorter leaves and fibre, light reddish edges and soft white fibre. Best says that Oue was brought to the Urewera from Waikato.

Use:

Very good all purpose harakeke. Some mature blades may be used for piupiu but not really a piupiu variety . Makes very strong kete which dry out well into a rich pale parchment shade when boiled for one minute. Slightly darker when unboiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

PANGO (48)

Source:

Tawatapu district, south of Gisborne.

Description:

Short, bendy variety . Overall bush has a dark appearance. Rito blades are a bronze colour. Reddish-brown margin and keel. Brownish-purple kōrari. Flowers well.

Use:

Green kete harakeke. Not good for muka.

Images (click to enlarge):

PAOA (6)

PAOA

According to tradition, this variety was used to moor the canoe of Paoa when he arrived at Muriwai in the canoe Horouta.

Source:

Muriwai, Gisborne District (Mrs Te Hau).

Description:

The bush is of medium height with a yellowy-green appearance, slightly droopy leaves, soft but strong. Margin and keel have fine bright orange lines. Yellow shading on tips of young blades which are rather Gothic pointed. Flowers freely even on young bushes. Long kōrari with dense, strong seed pods.

Use:

A fine kete variety sought after for decoration as the mature blades dry to distinct yellow tones—sometimes so yellow that it has been mistaken for pīngao, the golden sand sedge (Desmoschoenus spiralis). Ideal for decorative patterns in kete and whāriki.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/paoa.html

PAREKORITAWA (22)

Source:

Waiomatatini, East Coast. Also sent from Taranaki to Botanic Gardens, Wellington in 1870.

Description:

One of few traditional cultivars of variegated harakeke. The whole bush has a yellow appearance, with the bright green leaves striped with a bright sulphur yellow. Short, straight, strong, pointed blades. Orange margin and keel ("like karaka”, Andersen 1907). Few kōrari, with light flower heads.

Use:

Kelly, in the Flax Commissioners Report 1870, described it as a beautiful plant and it was, and is, valued as ornamental. It is a parent of many modern coloured hybrids. Also produces high quality, shiny, but rather brittle fibre.

Images (click to enlarge):

PARETANIWHA (10)

Source:

Rotoiti area.

Description:

Users today would give conflicting descriptions of this flax. Rene’s plant tallies with information given in early records (Flax Commissioners Report 1871; NZ Department of Agriculture Report, 1908).

Very tall, erect cultivar, up to 3 metres. Straight, wide, medium green blades with yellow margin and keel. Flowers freely, short seed pods.

Use:

Makes a very good strong kete (unboiled) which dries out to a lovely rich golden corn colour. Slightly paler when boiled. Not heavy enough for piupiu.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/paretaniwha.html

POTAKA (60)

Source:

East Coast.

Description:

Tall, slightly bendy, blue-green leaves with powdery blue underside. Similar to Ruawai. Black margin and keel. Sends up plenty of very tall kōrari with light seed pods.

Use:

Mature blades strip well with shell into long strands of fine, silky fibre. Very good for kete as it dries very white when boiled for one minute.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/potaka.html

RANGIWAHO (32)

Source:

Tawatapu district, south of Gisborne. Named after a chief of the region.

Description:

Short bush, bendy leaves, with reddish-brown margin and keel. Small flower heads with heavy seed pods.

Use:

Green kete variety . Not good for stripping as fibre breaks. The seed pods were used to dye fabric.

Images (click to enlarge):

RAUMOA (35)

Source:

Botanic Gardens, Wellington (originally sent from Taranaki in 1870) and Te Kuiti.

Description:

Tall, soft but strong leaves. Tomato red keel and margins on all blades. Plenty of heavy, tall seed heads.

Use:

Good whāriki harakeke. Also good for fine kaitaka kete as it dries very white like kiekie when boiled. Strips easily with a shell into silky white fibre, though the para is inclined to adhere. For kete, the leaves dry to a greenish white when unboiled, almost white when boiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

RUAHINE (46)

Source:

Urewera

Description:

A muka variety. Tall, straight, strong, yellow-green blades. Light orange keel and margins. Similar to Tāpoto, but softer and taller. Tall thin kōrari with light seed heads.

Use:

Quite good for piupiu as it strips well and cleanly although it has rather thin fibre. Dries hard to a pale cream after being boiled for one minute.

Images (click to enlarge):

RUAPANI (45)

Source:

Urewera

Description:

Tall, straight, strong, medium green blades. Reddish-brown keel and margins on the older leaf and a fine orange-red on the younger rito leaves. Similar to Ruahine but taller, wider with finer fibre.

Use:

Very heavy, strong tīhore type. Most blades strip easily and cleanly into heavy fibre, although some of the para is inclined to adhere. A good piupiu harakeke —plenty of fibre, good length, dries hard and strong. When boiled, dries to a rich creamy biscuit colour. Unboiled, it has a greener tone.

The early Europeans would tear a strip from one of the long leaves for cordage—almost impossible to break.

Images (click to enlarge):

RUAWAI (14)

Source:

Near Mt. Hikurangi. From Pine Taiapa, noted master carver of the Ngāti Porou.

Description:

Tall, rather bendy leaves. Bright, light blue-green blades. Silver-blue, powdery underside. Black margin and keel. Orange keel and black margin on young leaf. Silver-purple shadings at base of plant. Similar to the cultivar Kōhunga.

Use:

Grown widely on the East Coast and prized for its long, white silky fibres of superior quality. Strips easily and cleanly. Ideal for whenu (warp) and aho (weft) for kaitaka, korowai and muka kete. Used in kaitaka kete as it dries white when boiled for one minute.

Babies on the East Coast were once placed in tightly woven baskets for almost the first year of their lives. They were covered with a bundle of silky muka fibres which could be changed and washed.

Images (click to enlarge):

TĀKIRIKAU (5)

Source:

Tauwhareparae, East Coast.

Description:

A favourite of the Ngāti Porou. The term tākirikau (like tīhore) is applied to all the finer cultivars of flax which can be stripped of fibre without the use of a shell (i.e., with the fingers only).

A very handsome harakeke, growing at times up to 3 metres high. Straight, very strong, pale yellowy-green leaves. Bright yellow-orange margin and keel. Small number of very high, heavy kōrari.

Use:

A real whītau harakeke, producing long strands of strong, shiny fibre. Could be good for strong whenu (warp) in weaving. Very good piupiu variety, particularly for ladies piupiu—easy to prepare, has plenty of length and dries hard and very strong. Dries to a pale clear yellowy cream when boiled for one minute. Unboiled, has a little more greenish tone.

Images (click to enlarge):

TĀNE-Ā-WAI (28)

Source:

Tikitiki, East Coast.

Description:

Medium height, rather bendy, wide blades. Brown margins and keel.

Use:

Used mainly in green kete. Better not boiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

TĀPOTO (27)

Source:

Taihoa Pa, Hawke´s Bay.

Description:

A real tīhore variety and one of the favourites of Hawke’s Bay Māori. Once prevalent where Havelock North now stands. Strong, straight, short narrow blades tapering to a sharp point. Pale yellow-green leaves with bright orange keel and margins. Very fine, tall flower stalks. Similar to Tākirikau, but generally smaller.

Many early records enthuse about this harakeke. It was often given the synonym ‘Oue’ but is a very different harakeke to the ‘Oue’ in this collection. Recognised for its beautiful glossy fibre. Heaphy (Flax Commissioners Report 1870) says that "some of this flax was manufactured in France into fabrics, that resembled fine jean and silk in delicacy of gloss. The Oue is frequently planted by the natives in borders to divide small cultivations near a village, and where it is convenient for occasional use in mat-making. In this case it constitutes quite a property. It may be seen in the cultivations at Coromandel harbour, Kawhia, and the Waikato.”

Use:

Muka variety. Strips easily and cleanly into long, shiny, white fibre, brittle but very strong. Very good piupiu harakeke. Dries very hard to a pale cream colour. Used for kaitaka, whāriki and kete.

Images (click to enlarge):

TĀRERE (40)

Source:

Tairawhiti (East Coast).

Description:

Short, bendy, bright yellow-green blades, giving the bush a yellowish appearance.

Use:

Very valuable for kete as it dries to a clear yellow when boiled for half a minute. Gives good contrast for patterns when used with other cultivars. When unboiled, it dries to rich bronze-golden shades. Not a muka variety.

Images (click to enlarge):

TŪTAEWHEKE (17)

Source:

Botanic Gardens, Wellington. Sent from Taranaki in 1870. Identified again by Mrs Orchiston in 1972

Description:

A distinctive cultivar, with the mature bush having an overall inky blue appearance, the colour of the fluid ejected by the octopus to camouflage itself when under attack—hence the name. Medium to tall, with rather bendy blades. Black keel and margins on older blades, with dark, streaky bronze colourings on upperside. Tawny-red margins and veining in the young leaves. The young bush has a yellowy-bronze appearance.

Use:

Not best for muka, though some of the older blades strip fairly easily.

Images (click to enlarge):

TAEORE, TAIORE (15)

Source:

Opunake, Maniapoto.

Description:

A fine variety. Tall, bendy, pale blue-green leaves, powdery blue on reverse. Similar to Kōhunga but finer and slightly more droopy. Black margins and keel. Plenty of very tall, light-weight flower heads.

Use:

Easily stripped into long strands of strong, silky white fibre using haro method. Fibre used for aho in high quality cloaks. For kete, leaves dry to a pale fawn when boiled and a deeper colour when unboiled. Fibre in muka kete dries to a soft cream colour. Strips prepared for kete and whāriki will not shrink after being woven, if boiled or dragged through boiling water before weaving.

The stalks and seed pods have provided Rene with a fine range of apricot toned dyes for her handspun wool.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/taeore.html

TAKAIAPU (49)

Source:

Hawke’s Bay.

Description:

Tall, rather bendy, medium green leaves

Use:

Good all purpose harakeke. Good whāriki variety. May be used for piupiu although para adheres slightly. Dries very hard and strong. Medium quantity of fibre. Dries to greenish-fawn when boiled for one minute and a deeper shade unboiled. Kelly, one of the Flax Commissioners in Taranaki (1870), said its very strong fibre was used for fishing lines.

Images (click to enlarge):

TANIWHA (8)

Source:

Waiomatatini, East Coast. From the garden of the late Sir Apirana Ngata.

Description:

A handsome bronze coloured harakeke. Deep brown tones with crimson, almost translucent margins and markings along centre of blades. Sometimes known as the Blue Flax because of the distinct purply-blue bloom on the underside of the leaves and on the kōrari. The young flower stems on one small bush were almost navy-blue.

Use:

Ornamental—mainly for garden display. Contrasts well when planted among other cultivars.

Images (click to enlarge):

TAPAMANGU (18)

Source:

Waiomatatini, East Coast.

Description:

Tapa – edge. Mangu – black. Medium height. Straight, narrow, strong, pale green blades. Black margin and keel. Very seldom flowers.

Use:

A superior cultivar. Has always been grown on the East Coast. Seiferts Superior (S.S.), a cultivar once widely used by flax millers in the Manawatu, was bred from this plant. Most fibre per width of blade of any flaxes tested by Mrs Orchiston. Strips easily and cleanly into strong, shiny fibre. A very good piupiu variety. Dries very hard to a very pale cream. Strips tested for kete dried very white when boiled for one minute, and to a pale greenish cream when unboiled. Some Urewera women used the soft, shiny fibres of the young blades for very fine baby shawls and necklace ties.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/tapaman.html

TAUMATAUA (33)

Source:

Urewera.

Description:

Tall, straight with wide, green, strong blades. Pale yellow keel and margins. Seldom sends up flower heads.

Use:

Good for ladies piupiu because of the long blades. With care, will strip fairly easily into long strips of white silky fibre. For kete it dries to a pale fawn when boiled for one minute. Fawn when unboiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/taumatua.html

TE MATA (53)

Source:

Hawke’s Bay.

Description:

Very tall, up to 3 m. Overall bush has a pinkish bronze appearance, as the young leaves have crimson coloured veining along the bronze leaf. Red margin and keel. No kōrari.

Use:

Ornamental. Rather coarse fibre. May be good for whāriki because of its length. Dries darkish fawn.

Images (click to enlarge):

TE TATUA (34)

Source:

Puha, near Te Karaka. From Tekani te Ua’s garden.

Description:

Name means The Belt. Short, straight, strong, pointed medium green blades. Bright reddish-orange keel and margins. Plenty of very tall kōrari with short flower heads.

Use:

Strips well. Good for strong kete. Chief Tupurupuru had a belt made from this harakeke, hence its name.

Images (click to enlarge):

TUKURA (4)

Source:

Waihirere, Gisborne District.

Description:

A fine cultivar. Tall, very bendy leaves, soft but strong. Red margin and keel. Young leaves show reddish/brown shading at tips of blades. Grown in many districts under different names.

Use:

Do not boil, but just drag through boiling water. Gum at base has definite healing properties and was used for treating burns.

Images (click to enlarge):

TUPURUPURU (2)

TUPURUPURU

Known as Tarariki in Taranaki District.

Source:

Gisborne, East Coast. Tupurupuru was a chief of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki and lived about 12 km inland from Gisborne.

Description:

Medium to tall in height, slightly bendy. Leaves dull olive green, soft, but strong. Chocolate-coloured margin and keel. 4–8 cm of brownish smudging at the tips of the young blades (Anderson, 1907, suggests "for the length of a finger”). Tall, pointed seed pods.

Use:

Ordinary purposes, kete, whāriki. The long blades are suitable for whāriki if just dragged through boiling water, not boiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/tupurupuru.html

TURINGAWARI (7)

Source:

Tauwhareparae. Ngati Porou.

Description:

Turi – knee. Ngawari – soft. A tall, soft, bendy harakeke. Margin and keel reddish brown with light shading on tips of young leaves.

Use:

Kete harakeke. Easy to work. Do not boil.

Images (click to enlarge):

UNKNOWN – ´TE AUE DAVIS´ (47)

Source:

Sent to Mrs Orchiston by Te Aue Davis.

Description:

Very similar to Tapamangu. Very black margin and keel.

Use:

A very fine muka cultivar.

Images (click to enlarge):

WAIHIRERE (63)

Description:

Tall, rather bendy, blue-green blades. Dark brownish margin and keel.

Use:

Good kete harakeke. Goes white and stays shiny after being boiled for one minute. Not good for muka.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/waihirere.html

WHAKAARI (44)

WHAKAARI

(Phormium cookianum)

Source:

Urewera.

Description:

An unusual little wharariki. Medium height, short, strong blades, which shape into a narrow neck about 15 cm from the tips. No colour on margin and keel. Medium green, dull leaves, not shiny like usual wharariki. Twisted droopy flower heads.

Use:

Not really a piupiu variety, but could be used for short piupiu, as it has a strong blade which dries hard. The para falls off fairly easily. Good for strong, green kete. Dries to a pale greenish-fawn when boiled for one minute, and to a deeper colour unboiled.

Images (click to enlarge):

WHARANUI (11)

Source:

Urewera.

Description:

Very tall, broad blades, soft but fairly strong. Pale green. In spring, kōrari are very purple and produce very tall, thin flower heads. In some old records, Wharanui is described as the common, coarse flax. On the East Coast it is known as a fine cultivar.

Use:

Soft and easy to use. Ideal for learners. Do not boil. An old lady in the Urewera told Rene that, with care, soft fibre may be produced. It was used for fine cloaks and baby wraps. A fine kete made with this harakeke looked like kiekie (Freycinetia baueriana).

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/wharanui.html

WHARARIKI (41)

WHARARIKI

(Phormium cookianum)

Source:

Tairawhiti (East Coast).

Description:

A tall cultivar of Phormium cookianum. Slightly bendy, soft, medium green blades. Hardly any colour on the margins and keel (greenish-white). High flower stalks with yellow flowers and lightweight pendulous seed pods.

Use:

Used for soft baskets, rourou, toys. Good for beginners as it is very soft to work with. A fine kete made from this had the appearance of soft kiekie. The strips were not boiled but dragged quickly through boiling water.

Images (click to enlarge):

WHARARIKI (62)

WHARARIKI

(Phormium cookianum)

Description:

Short to medium height. Shiny, pale leaves. Long seed pods which droop and are slightly twisted.

Use:

Better quality fibre than other wharariki. When woven into a soft kete, dries slightly yellow.

Images (click to enlarge):

WHAREONGAONGA (36)

Source:

Tawatapu district, south of Gisborne.

Description:

Short to medium height. Straight, strong, narrow, tapered, yellow-green blades. Orange margin and keel. Similar to, but not as strong as Tāpoto. Very few, small flower heads.

Use:

Abundant, shiny, very strong but brittle fibre. May be used for piupiu but not as strong as other varieties. Cleans easily of para. Dries white.

Images (click to enlarge):

To see microscopic images of the leaf, go to http://www.otago.ac.nz/textiles/plantfibres/whareongaonga.html