Pouteria costata is a small coastal tree native to the northern North Island (New Zealand) and to Norfolk Island (Australia). In New Zealand, its common name is Tawāpou (from Māori); on Norfolk Island it is called bastard ironwood. The name costata is from the Latin costatus (ribbed), a reference to the prominently raised primary nerves of the leaves. Pouteria is a genus of approximately 300 species in the tropics of America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific. A Pouteria species found in other Pacific Islands is sometimes erroneously included in P. costata.