This series will be running parallel to the regular blogs and will be a short excerpt of a much larger presented question and or thought that may engage the reader to further self ponder on the subject.

Why does a Pohutukawa (Metrosideros Excelsa) produce aerial roots? Why does a Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) back bud and grow from the base of an existing branch so profusely?

It’s commonly understood that the Pohutukawa is the only NZ native tree species that can exist in nature growing in purely volcanic lava. Did this harsh environment forge the genetic make-up to create aerial roots for the tree to source pockets of moisture from other sources other than its core root system to survive?

Seeing firsthand the wild ruggedness of the west coast of New Zealand, it seems highly plausible that being battered and brocken by the harsh elements that the Rimu trees adapted to be able to replace broken limbs with new ones as a safe guard.

How do these unique characteristics change or educate the way we cultivate these species as bonsai?