Kiekie (plant)

Kiekie
Kiekie climbing a Kohekohe tree
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Pandanales
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Freycinetia
Species:
F. banksii
Binomial name
Freycinetia banksii
Synonyms
  • Freycinetia baueriana subsp. banksii (A.Cunn.) B.C.Stone
Developing fruit of Kiekie
Illustration by Frederick Polydore Nodder, c1780

Kiekie [1](Freycinetia banksii) is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber native to New Zealand. It is a member of the screwpalm family Pandanaceae. Its Māori name is cognate with the Hawaiian ʻieʻie from Proto-Oceanic *kiRekiRe for Freycinetia in general.[2]

Kiekie has numerous cane-like stems up to 40 mm in diameter, which freely produce aerial roots. It climbs tree trunks, or forms dense tangles on the forest floor. Its stems and leaves are a dominant feature in many areas of New Zealand forest, the stems eventually reaching up to 30 m long. The leaves are long and slender, 60–90 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad.

  1. ^ Chitham, Karl (2019). Crafting Aotearoa : a cultural history of making in New Zealand and the wider Moana Oceania. Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai, Damian Skinner, Rigel Sorzano. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-9941362-7-5. OCLC 1118996645.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ "*Kiekie". Te Māra Reo. Benson Family Trust. Retrieved Aug 24, 2024.