Kakapo

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What’s in a name …

It is our good fortune and legacy to have both Māori and scientific names to describe the natural world around us. By Ann Graeme    In our native forest grows a moss, the largest moss  in the world. Most pākehā simply call it the “giant moss”. That is not very original. Scientists have named it Dawsonia superba. “Superb” is quite eloquent for a scientific name, and  “Dawson” is a tribute to Dawson Turner, a distinguished British botanist and moss expert. That is mildly interesting. Māori...