Our little Tree

This is the little tree we sit by on the days when the takeaway coffee is available ! 
It’s a Black Matibo from New Zealand and the little dark flowers have a delicate odour which attract bees and other insects well.

It’s well used by the Maoris:(Wikipedia) 
 
Use by Māori[edit]
There are several recorded uses of kōhūhū by Māori. The resin and oils extracted from the leaves were used for their scent and were often mixed with ingredients sourced from other native trees in order to produce an oil of variable composition.[33] The resin was obtained by making cuts in the bark of the tree[2] and the leaves were crushed and mixed with other oils.[33]The oil was used to scent little pouches[2] or a dead bird skin,[33] often worn around the neck.[2]The oil was also used to scent houses and mats of people of high rank.[33]
In addition, kōhūhū was also used for medicinal purposes by Māori. The resin was mixed with other gums and chewed as a cure for bad breath and sores in the mouth.[34] Parts of the plants were used as topical treatment for relief of the symptoms of skin diseases.[2] Crushed leaves were also used as a poultice for ulcers.[35] The crushed bark was soaked in water and the resulting mixture used to treat breast or chest ailments, and the remaining liquid could be taken orally.[34] It was used, together with flax root, to make a brew used to treat fever, bleeding and bruising.[34] Validating its traditional uses as a medicine, a 2010 study indicated that kōhūhū does indeed possess some antimicrobial properties.[36]
Lastly, the branches of kōhūhū were used in important Māori life ceremonies, such as baptisms, and are still used for welcoming visitors to a marae.[33] Two of its common names, tāwhiri (“to wave to”) and rautāwhiri (“to wave a leaf”) reflect this.[33]
So how this little tree sits near the Abbey in Sherborne I don’t know although it is in a pot which it has outgrown and not in the ground !