Karaka (tree)

Karaka
A mature tree in Glendowie
Conservation status
Not Threatened (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Corynocarpaceae
Genus:	Corynocarpus
Species:	C. laevigatus
Binomial name
Corynocarpus laevigatus J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., 1776

Karaka or New Zealand laurel (Corynocarpus laevigatus) is a medium-sized evergreen tree in the family Corynocarpaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is common throughout the North Island and less common in the South Island. Karaka are also found on the Chatham Islands, Kermadec Islands, and the Three Kings Islands. It is mostly a coastal tree, though in the North Island, it can also be found in lowland inland forests.

Karaka was first described by German naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in 1776. Karaka grows to heights up to 15–20 m (49–66 ft) and has a stout trunk up to 60 cm (24 in) in diameter. Its leaves are leathery, dark to bright green in colour and up to 15–30 cm (5.9–11.8 in) long and its oval shaped orange-coloured fruit is 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) in length. Karaka is a valuable food source for the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and the Chatham Islands pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis). It is naturalised and considered an invasive species in several Hawaiian islands and is mostly found on the island of Kauai. Karaka is also grown in Southern California.

Karaka is considered a taonga (cultural treasure) amongst the Māori and Moriori peoples, who used it significantly as a food source. On the Chatham Islands, carvings of Moriori ancestors were carved on to karaka trees (known as rākau momori) are considered internationally significant and unique to their culture. An exoplanet originally named HD 137388 was renamed to "Karaka" in 2019 in recognition of the tree's orange-coloured fruit.