|
As noted under "related words", the tree denoted by the Māori reflex of *maqota, māota, has an alternative name, kohe or kohekohe. There is further information about the tree itself on the page devoted to the latter terms (link above).
The species formerly classified under the name Dysoxylum have recently (2021) been reclassified into several genera, of which one, Didymocheton, is represented in Polynesia. This is an Indo-Pacific group of large forest trees, confined for the most part East of Wallace's line; the species retained in Dysoxylum are distributed from India and Ceylon to Australia and the Western Pacific as far as the Solomon Islands.
The tropical tree also known as "Red Bean Mahogany", Didymocheton mollissimum subsp. molle, closely related to the New Zealand species, is an important customary and commercial multi-purpose timber tree has a wide range from Southern China, East India and Southeast Asia to Australia; in Polynesia it is found in Tonga and Niue. This is the largest of these species growing naturally in Polynesia -- it can reach 60 metres in height, but more usually is around 34 metres. Its trunk is about 1.5 metres wide, with butresses up to 2 metres tall and the first branches appearing 20 metres or more further up. The versatile wood is used for furniture, panneling, flooring and boat decking, among other things. When freshly cut, its smell has been described as reminiscent of onions, shallots, potatoes, and turnips!
 Samoa and Aotearoa have their own indigenous species of Didymocheton. D. maota (leaves and inflorescence pictured at left) is indigenous to Samoa and parts of Tonga. With D. samoense, it is often the dominant tree in coastal and lower-altutude forests. It grows to about 20m high, and its seeds are much loved by pigeons. It flowers and fruits throughout the year. Despite its size, its wood is not of very good quality; it is easily attacked by termites but it is sometimes used in construction nonetheless.
 D. samoense (pictured on the right), known as mamala, maota, and maota mamala, is indigenous to Samoa, and to Futuna and 'Uvea (Wallace) to the west. This tree also grows to about 20m high, and although it has fine-grained timber potentially quite useful, its toxic sawdust can cause severe nosebleeds if inhaled. Starlings and pigeons however find its red seeds very much to their taste, and it is a major food source for these birds. It flowers for about six months of the year (May-December), but its fruits are available all year round. It has a mottled orange inner bark which is said to smell strongly of garlic. This has led to its occasional use in traditional medicine, for it efficacy in chasing away evil spirits.
 The other Samoan species of Didymocheton, D. huntii, maota mea, is endemic to Samoa, and found in forests at higher altitudes (over 400m above sea level). It is the tallest of this trio of Samoan maota, a canopy tree growing to about 25m. It has red and yellow termite-resistant wood, valued for both house building and as firewood -- the timber will burn well even when green. The timber is also exported, but it is harvested only on a small scale because the tree, although abundant, is confined to higher altitudes. As with its fellow maota, its shiny red seeds (pictured on the left) are eagerly sought after by pigeons.
In addition to referring to the tree Didymocheton spectabile, the word māota in Māori also denotes greenery, fresh growth, or the colour green. This usage probably has a separate derivation, possibly from the adjectival prefix mā-, and ota "unripe" (cf. otaota "herbs, green growth"). This probable homonym could also be connected with the Tahitian and Tuamotuan words maota, applied to the giant swamp taro, Cyrtosperma merkusii (Araceae) in both languages, and also denoting a variety of another taro-like aroid Alocasia macrorrhizos in Tahiti.
|
