houhere

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A name in New Zealand of two trees belonging to the mallow family. Both of them have tough bark, which in former times was used by the natives for making tapa, or bark-cloth. One, Hoheria populnea, known also as the lacebark or thousand-jacket, has bark which readily separates into many thin, lace-like layers. It is distinguished by having fruit composed of 5 separable carpels. The other, Plagianthus betulinus, known commonly as ribbonwood, is a much larger tree than the preceding. It has fruit consisting of a single naked capsule. Also called houi and whauwhi. See ribbonwood and lacebark, 3.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A small tree or shrub (Hoheria populnea) of New Zealand having a profusion of axillary clusters of honey-scented paper-white flowers and whose bark is used for cordage.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. small tree or shrub of New Zealand having a profusion of axillary clusters of honey-scented paper-white flowers and whose bark is used for cordage