Pepper Tree (Kawakawa)

Today I will give you two species, so here is the first.

Kawakawa (latin name: Macropiper excelsum) is one of two native New Zealand species known as the Pepper Tree. It has palm-sized, dark green, heart shaped leaves that appear to buckle at the edges. The leaves often have holes in them as since the plant is non-toxic many insects tend to graze on it.

This plant is very child friendly, as you can pick the leaves straight off the plant and chew on them. They are mildly hot and a little spicy as the common name suggests, and the different sized have differ in potency. Swallowing parts of the leaf will also cause no harm. Good memories I have that are associated with this plant include going on a school camp up Mount Taranaki and doing a series of challenges - one of them was to eat a particularly large leaf (no problem really as I would always eat them when my family went tramping!)

The flowers of Kawakawa are not really that normal, looking more like immature cones and relying on wind pollination rather than bees. they are pale green to yellow pillars depending on what subspecies you have come across.

Early Maori had many uses for this plant. Among them were chewing the leaves to reduce the symptoms of toothache and burning them creates a smoke that repels insects. An interesting thing to remember if your favourite campsite has issues with bugs and there is a patch of bush nearby (check with camp management if there is a fire ban first!!!!)

Photo credit (in order): earthenergiesnz.com, visitzelandia.com, whangareiflora.weebly.com, nzpcn.org.nz

Supplejack (Kareao)

Time for our first species!

Supplejack (latin name: Ripogonum scandens) is native to New Zealand and otherwise known by Māori as Kareao. It is a climbing vine that grows up the sides of trees. If you grew up in New Zealand and went tramping a lot as a child, there is a fair chance that you have come across this particular plant before, possibly even swung from one of it's long hanging tendrils.

The leaves of a Supplejack are not something you will come by often, as they are usually too far up in the canopy for one to see from the ground. They are a glossy dark green with wavy edges and an opposite arrangement on the stems. Fruit (also found higher up near the canopy) are usually brown in juvenile stages, turning red as they ripen, and are a particularly favored food of Kākāpo.

Occasionally it is possible to find tips that are just starting to sprout form the ground, easily spotted against a backdrop of dirt as they are often a vivid green colour in contrast to the stems which are a blackish brown, often knobbly and twisted.

Historically, we know that the root of the Supplejack was made into a drink and used by early Māori to treat ailments such as rheumatism, fevers, bowel problems, and various skin diseases. However, consuming it without proper knowledge of how to prepare it or the correct dosages to use can cause it to act as a laxative, and in some cases it could even kill you, so this is one I will not be trying out.

It was also used a lot by early populations in New Zealand to tie or bind objects together due to its flexible nature, hence its usefulness in arts and crafts.

Well that's all I've got for Supplejack at the moment. I will update this post if I find out anything more.

Photo credits (in order): K. Luckhurst, VisitZelandia.com, National Geographic, VisitZelandia.com, nzepiphytenetwork.com, and Stuff.co.nz