Beilschmiedia tawa aka Tawa

Beilschmiedia tawa, or tawa, is a tree from New Zealand. It is evergreen and belongs to Lauraceae, the laurel family. Its native range takes in North Island and South Island. It grows there in damp woods with shade. It lives in lowland woods and on lower mountain slopes. Its known range runs south to about 42° south latitude. These forest sites help explain what it needs in gardens.

Tawa can reach about 82 feet [25 metres] in height. It is a large tree, not a shrub. It keeps its leaves on the tree through winter. The sources give no crown width or smaller garden size range. They give no close account of its bark or leaves. Plan for its stated height when choosing where to plant. The evidence does not show how fast it grows to that size.

Each flower has both male and female parts for reproduction. This does not prove that trees can pollinate themselves. The account gives no flower colour or months of bloom. Tawa has fruit that people can eat. It tastes sweet when it is fully ripe. People can eat the fruit fresh or cook it. People also use the seeds as food, but must cook them. One known method uses steam to cook the seeds before drying. Seeds kept after this treatment can last for several years.

Tawa suits sun or light shade from trees in gardens. It likes soil that stays moist. It can grow in sand, loam, or clay soils. It can cope with soils from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. The edge of a woodland garden is one suggested site. These needs fit its home in damp woods with shade. The evidence gives no frost limit or hardiness zone. It does not show how well tawa copes with drought.

Its size and year-round leaves suit a woodland planting role. Its fruit and cooked seeds also have a known food use. Plants For A Future rates its food value two out of five. That source lists no known uses for medicine or other needs. It lists no known hazards, but does not prove safety for pets. The sources name no specific pests or diseases. They give no grounds to claim that pests leave it alone.