Pterophylla sylvicola, known as tà Âwai or tawhero, is a medium-sized evergreen tree of the family Cunoniaceae native to northern New Zealand. It is formerly known as Weinmannia sylvicola.
It grows to 15 m or more, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. Adult leaves are toothed and leathery, with up to five pairs of leaflets. Juvenile leaves are thinner and have up to ten pairs of leaflets. Its flowers are small and pink or white, occurring in 8âÂÂ12 cm racemes. Its fruits are 4âÂÂ5 cm capsules, which release many tiny seeds that are dispersed by wind.
Tà Âwai occurs in forest and forest margins from North Cape south to the WaitÃÂkere Ranges west of Auckland. A closely related tree, kÃÂmahi (P. racemosa), replaces tà Âwai south of latitude 37ðS.