Lacebark (houhere), Hoheria populnea 
Adult size: Up to 8m high and bushes out to about 5m wide
Description: A beautiful ornamental evergreen tree that attracts birds, butterflies and bees with its show of delicate, sweet-scented white flowers in autumn.
The Lacebark is a very showy tree for a native and this particular cultivar is found growing naturally in the northern half of the North Island on woodland edges, river banks and in gardens.
Its more southern relations, including H. sexstylosa, H. angustifolia, H. lyallii and H. glabrata, are far less common in cultivation but do extend the range of the lacebark family right to the bottom of the South Island.
H. populnea prefers the warmer climes of the North Island, where it will grow on light to heavy soil but it needs good drainage. It likes acidic or neutral pH although it has been found to grow in soils from very acidic to very alkaline. It doesn’t mind being in full sun, dappled shade or even on the coastline.
Historically the Lacebark was used for its wood – it makes a good firewood, a tough wood for cabinet makers and its inner bark is a very strong fibre that was used for making rope.
In more recent time it has been found to be the New Zealand equivalent of Slippery Elm, its inner bark used to soothe stomach problems.
Not only is lacebark attractive and relatively hardy, it is also very easy to propagate and young trees can often be found popping up in the garden, where they can be easily transplanted.
When not in flower, the Lacebark is still an attractive tree with its long dark green leaves edged in the jagged pattern of a shark’s tooth, with a paler green underneath. These leaves are very tasty to possum, so a lacebark will need protection.
If you don’t have room for the adult height of the Lacebark, it makes a beautiful hedge plant, growing quickly and showing off its deep green foliage and flowers.
Lacebark: international plant pest
We hear a lot about how so many plants brought into NZ as ornamentals are now having a detrimental effect on our wild native bush. The same thing is happening with some of our natives in other parts of the world and the Lacebark is one of them. It is so prolific in California it is now considered a potential invasive weed and most mature trees that were on show in San Francisco’s Strybing Arboretum have now been removed. Californian authorities have noted that this has been a lucky escape for the region, as the lacebark’s prolific tendencies were caught before it was widely available to the public.
Nadene Hall
NZ Lifestyle Block magazine