Neopanax arboreus
(Murray) Allan
Five-finger, Puahou, Whauwhaupaku
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(c) klarat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
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(c) Colin Meurk, some rights reserved (CC BY)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Tom Freestone, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A small tree. It grows 3-6 m high and spreads 4.5 m wide. It is a rounded tree. The leaves are leathery and have leaflets like fingers on a hand. There are 5-7 leaflets. They are deep, shiny green. Plants are separately male and female. The flowers are small. The fruit are small purple berries.
Edible Uses
The leaves are eaten, though they are probably bitter.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are probably bitter.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a warm temperate plant. In New Zealand it grows from sea level to 760 m altitude. It can grow in dry soils and tolerates wind. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Where It Grows
Australia, New Zealand*,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from fresh seed or cuttings.
Notes
There are 20 Pseudopanax species.
Synonyms
References (8)
- Crowe, A., 1997, A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Penguin. p 153
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1101
- Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 242
- Matthews, J., 1987, New Zealand Native Plants for your Garden. Pacific Publishers, p 101
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Show all 8 references Hide references
- Salmon, J.T., 1989, The Native Trees of New Zealand. Heinmann Reid p 250
- Stewart, K., 1984, Collins handguide to the Native Trees of New Zealand. Collins. p 124
- Wochenschr. Gartnerei Pflanzenk. 2:366. 1859 "arboreum"
