houhere N.Z.
(ˈhaʊhɪəriː)
[Maori, f. hou to bind together + here tie.]
A small tree of the native genus Hoheria, esp. H. populnea; also called lacebark or ribbonwood.
| 1879 J. Hector Handbk. N.Z. 93 Houhere, ribbon-wood of Dunedin. 1906 T. F. Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Flora 79 The Maoris apply the names hoihere or houhere to varieties a and b indifferently; the European settlers usually call all the forms ‘ribbon-wood’ or ‘lacebark’, names which are, unfortunately, also used for Plagianthus betulinus. 1946 Jrnl. Polynesian Soc. LV. 149 Houhere, a tree (Hoheria populnea), ribbonwood, lace⁓bark, thousand-jacket. One of the three or four deciduous Maori trees. 1968 Landfall XXII. 255 White edge of the sea White as the flower Of lace-bark, Te houhere, White edge of the sea Eating the land. |