ramarama

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ramarama (uncountable)

1. (New Zealand) A species of evergreen myrtle tree, Lophomyrtus bullata.
   • 1889, Thomas Kirk, “Myrtus bullata, Banks and Solander”, in The Forest Flora of New Zealand, page 267:

     The ramarama is the largest and most attractive of the New Zealand myrtles: it varies from a dwarf shrub to a small tree 30ft. in height, but is easily distinguished from all other indigenous plants by its reddish-brown leaves, the spaces between the veins of which are tumid or inflated, presenting a singular appearance, as if blistered.

   • 1987, John Brack Mortimer, Trees for the New Zealand Countryside: A Planter's Guide, page 241:

     L. bullata (ramarama) is a beautiful shrub or small tree growing to about 5m.

   • 1994, James Herries beattie, Traditional Lifeways of the Southern Maori:

     He mentioned a ramarama tree - this, he explained, was not the ramarama, or pepper-tree, of Murihiku, but was a tree like the rohutu, bearing black berries like the konini (fuchsia).

   • 2018 April 14, Elton Rikihana Smallman, “Property owner copes with myrtle rust on his own”, in Stuff NZ‎^[1]:

     When John-Paul Oliver reported his myrtle rust-infected ramarama tree to authorities, they sent him plastics bags and a wool fadge and told him to remove it himself.

Further reading

• Lophomyrtus bullata on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *ramaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *damaʀ, from Proto-Austronesian *damaʀ (“tree resin used in torch”).

Noun

ramarama

1. (archaic) oil lamp