Five Photos, Five stories Day 4 : Totara Park street and Kowhai tree

DAY 4

KOWHAI Tree

My first photo taken of this lovely tree.

This is the road that goes to my son’s place.

The first spring was different from what I was used to.

The Kowhai Trees all are covered in yellow blooms.

Some streets have rows of them and when in bloom it is just beautiful to see.

Kōwhai are small, woody legume trees in the genus Sophora native to New Zealand. There are eight species, Sophora microphylla andS. tetraptera being the most recognised as large trees. Their natural habitat is beside streams and on the edges of forest, in lowland or mountain open areas.^[1] Kōwhai trees grow throughout the country and are a common feature in New Zealand gardens. Outside of New Zealand, kōwhai tend to be restricted to mild temperate maritime climates.

The name kōwhai comes from the Māori word for yellow—a reference to the colour of the flower.^[2] The name is usually spelled as kōwhai but frequently without the macron, and is sometimes spelled kōhai in some areas.

Despite having no official status as such,^[3] the blooms of the kōwhai are widely regarded as being New Zealand’s national flower.^[4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dwhai