pohutakawa

Name       Hemi  ✓ Date4.4.19

Pōhutakawa Junior Journal 45 

Because the pōhutukawa has red flowers and it blooms in December, it
is often thought of as New Zealand’s christmas     ✓        tree.
The pōhutukawa is special to Maori, and it provides a    habitat   ✓     and
food for many creatures. Pōhutukawa prefer to grow in warm places by the
sea, and they have special   features  ✓   which help them grow in sandy soil.
The top of its leaves are shiny and green with a       coating which helps
protect them from the salt, sun and dry conditions. The   waxy     is rough
which protects the tree from losing water through its trunk and branches.
New flower buds have a special covering which helps   leaves    them from
wind and salt. The roots grow deep into the soil or sand. They take water
from the ground to help them grow and stand up. 

Pōhutukawa provide a home and food for birds,  protect and other creatures.
Some    seabirds such as shags make their nests in their branches.
Other birds, like the tui, eat the     insects          from the flowers. Lizards
and pekapeka also like to eat the nectar. Insects such as weevils and moths
eat the leaves, flowers, wood and bark, and live in the dead   Nectar  under
the trees. 

protect	Christmas	habitat	waxy	insects
seabirds	Nectar	leaves	features	bark

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