Winika
Encyclopedia
Winika is a monotypic
genus
of epiphytic
orchids that is endemic to New Zealand
, commonly found growing in rainforest
in the North
, South
, Stewart and Chatham Islands. It normally flowers in summer and early autumn. Its common names are winika, pekapeka, orchid, bamboo orchid (owing to the bamboo / reed-like stems).
pendulum. Subsequently it was recatalogued as Dendrobium
cunninghamii and stayed that way until M. A. Clements removed it to form Winika cunninghamii.
To quote the authors;
"Winika is the accepted old Māori
name for this orchid. The name Te Winika was given to the sacred war canoe of the Tainui
people because this orchid grew on the tōtara tree (Podocarpus totara) which was hollowed out to form the hull (Moore & Irwin, 1978). We assign the feminine gender to it—Winika cunninghamii. The Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
, granted consent to use the name Winika, because of its particular cultural significance to her Tainui people".
released a New Zealand native orchid miniature sheet to support of the New Zealand 1990 World Stamp Exhibition held in Auckland. Winika was one of the stamps (40c) on the miniature sheet. The others were the sun orchid (Thelymitra pulchella)
, spider orchid (Corybas macranthus)
, greenhood orchid (Pterostylis banksii)
and odd leaved orchid (Aporostylis bifolia)
.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of epiphytic
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
orchids that is endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, commonly found growing in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
in the North
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, South
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, Stewart and Chatham Islands. It normally flowers in summer and early autumn. Its common names are winika, pekapeka, orchid, bamboo orchid (owing to the bamboo / reed-like stems).
History of taxonomy
W. cunninghamii was first discovered and catalogued by Solander as EpidendrumEpidendrum
Epidendrum , abbreviated Epi in horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,100 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name refers to its epiphytic growth habit...
pendulum. Subsequently it was recatalogued as Dendrobium
Dendrobium
Dendrobium is a huge genus of orchids. It was established by Olof Swartz in 1799 and today contains about 1,200 species. The genus occurs in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand...
cunninghamii and stayed that way until M. A. Clements removed it to form Winika cunninghamii.
To quote the authors;
"Winika is the accepted old Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name for this orchid. The name Te Winika was given to the sacred war canoe of the Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
people because this orchid grew on the tōtara tree (Podocarpus totara) which was hollowed out to form the hull (Moore & Irwin, 1978). We assign the feminine gender to it—Winika cunninghamii. The Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu
Te Atairangikaahu
Dame Te Atairangikaahu, ONZ, DBE, OStJ was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu...
, granted consent to use the name Winika, because of its particular cultural significance to her Tainui people".
In contemporary New Zealand culture
In 1990, New Zealand PostNew Zealand Post
New Zealand Post, commonly referred by its acronym, NZPost is a State owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.-History:...
released a New Zealand native orchid miniature sheet to support of the New Zealand 1990 World Stamp Exhibition held in Auckland. Winika was one of the stamps (40c) on the miniature sheet. The others were the sun orchid (Thelymitra pulchella)
Thelymitra
Thelymitra is a genus of orchids known as 'sun orchids' in reference to their habit of only opening in warm weather.- Description :They are about 100 species distributed in higher rainfall areas across Australia , New Zealand , New Caledonia , Timor, Java, and the Philippines.The type species is...
, spider orchid (Corybas macranthus)
Corybas (genus)
Corybas is a small genus of orchids , named after a Samothracian deity Corybas.- Species :* Corybas acuminatus .* Corybas cheesemanii, Spurred helmet orchid .* Corybas diemenicus ....
, greenhood orchid (Pterostylis banksii)
Pterostylis
Pterostylis is a terrestrial deciduous genus of some 100 or so species of orchids found mainly in New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. The common name of this orchid is Greenhood - a number of species have green flowers with the dorsal sepal forming a "hood" over the rest of...
and odd leaved orchid (Aporostylis bifolia)
Aporostylis
Aporostylis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.- References :*Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.A. & Rasmussen, F. eds. . Genera Orchidacearum 1. Oxford Univ. Press....
.