Are the leaves or fruit of this species poisonous to farm animals? would this be a good native plant to use in farm shelter belts?
It's highly palatable to possums, sheep, goats, cattle and horses. So not toxic and probably not a good shelterbelt (at least until well established).
It is also deciduous so loses its leaves in winter. As a shelter tree for Southland I would recommend using totara. Very hardy and forms dense foliage when wind-blown. Foliage can be browsed by stock until it gets tall enough. Also good food for birds
Thank you Peter and Mike - very helpful :)
Hi there Cara - Mike is right, totara is a good shelter species, but can be quite slow to get the height you need. I recommend you contact Arne Clelland at Pukerau Nursery, he has growing native species for shelter on farms for decades and can give really good advice. His website is helpful too: http://www.pukeraunursery.co.nz/ NZPCN gave this nursery an award a few years back in recognition of the good work they do.
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