Aristotelia serrata (makomako, wineberry)

Fast-growing, small deciduous tree. Attractive rose-coloured flowers in spring. Black berries in summer are highly sought after by native birds. Good shade tree in sheltered areas. Frost-tender when young, however hardy once mature.

Habitat: Lowland to montane forests. Often forming dense thickets following disturbance.

Flowering: September to December
Fruiting:    January to March [Fruit: Black]

Astelia fragrans (kakaha, bush lily) [Out of Stock]

One of the most common species of Astelia growing throughout New Zealand. It has attractive broad green flax-like leaves, stiffly arched and the ribs are often reddish. It has scented flowers in Spring. When the berries mature, they turn orange. Best in sheltered semi-shade.

Habitat: Found throughout the country on the forest floor amongst native bush.

Flowering: October - November
Fruiting:    December - May [Fruit: Orange]

Austroderia richardii (toetoe)

Large growing and distinctive grass that forms a large clump of tough foliage and majestic flower spikes up to 2m tall. Very tough, hardy and fast growing withstanding strong winds, costal conditions, drought and cold conditions.

Habitat: Abundant, from the coast to subalpine areas. Common along stream banks, river beds, around lake margins, and in other wet places. Also found in sand dunes.

Flowering: September - November
Fruiting:    October - March

Carex buchananii (buchanans sedge)

Carex buchananii is a 60 cm tall native hair sedge which forms upright clumps of very fine, hair-like leaves of a bronzy-cinnamon colour. The stiff blades curve at the end. Looks fabulous planted in large drifts. Hardy to just about any conditions but happiest in a sunny position that does not dry out completely in summer.

Habitat: Coastal to montane (up to 1000 m a.s.l.). On beaches, lagoon, lake and stream margins, or in damp ground within open forest or short tussock grassland.

Carex dipsacea (teasel sedge)

Attractive tufts of coarse green foliage with strong bronze tones. Summer seed-heads of dark brown. Will grow happily in moist damp conditions in sun or part shade. Tough and robust, great for mass planting in difficult spots. Evergreen.

Habitat: Coastal to subalpine. Favouring wetlands this species usually grows along rivers, lakes and ponds within sand dunes, tall forest, shrubland, and tussock grassland.

Carex punicea (hook grass, uncinia rubra) [Out of Stock]

A red native sedge found throughout New Zealand in forest and scrub. Dark red, wine-red or reddish green, weakly tufted or shortly rhizomatous plant.

Habitat: Montane to alpine (coastal in southern part of range). In frost-flats, short and tall tussock grassland, grey and subalpine scrub, bogs and mires.

Flowering: October to November
Fruiting:    November to June

Carex secta (pukio, forest sedge)

Well known species and it is a most useful plant for use in re-establishing or enhancing wetland areas. Older plants in moist to wet sites, often form thick trunk-like bases 1 metre tall from its own tightly matted roots. It takes on a yellow-green colour in open situations with the colour being intensified in the Winter.

Habitat: Widespread in suitable wetlands from coastal to montane wetlands.

Flowering: December to January
Fruiting:    

Carex virgata (pukio, swamp sedge)

A vigorous sedge suitable for swamps, drain margins, seepages and wet pastures. A successful colonising plant, used for wetland planting and revegetation. Suitable for conditions which may vary periodically from very wet to very dry. More dry tolerant and shorter than C. secta.

Habitat:: Widespread from sea level to about 1000 m a.s.l. in open, swampy conditions and also in damp sites within lowland forest. In parts of the country this sedge is often the dominant carice of lowland alluvial forest.

Clematis paniculata (puawananga) [Out of Stock]

An attractive climber with masses of white flowers in spring. Plant in a moist but well-drained soil with roots in a cool shady place and foliage in the sun. Water regularly in summer.

Habitat: Coastal to montane in shrubland or tall forest (up to 1000 m a.s.l.).

Flowering: July - November
Fruiting:    October - January

Coprosma propinqua (mikimiki)

A small, tough, bushy tree with interlaced foliage. Laden with fruit that changes from white to dark blue, makes good pigeon food. Good low shelter. Hardy and tolerates damp. Evergreen.

Habitat: Found in lowland forest, along forest margins and streambanks, in scrub, gravelly places and along the edges of bogs and swamps.

Flowering: October to November
Fruiting:    March to May [Berries: Dark Blue]

Coprosma rhamnoides (red-fruited coprosma) [Out of Stock]

Common small bushy shrub with very wide-angled branches bearing clusters of small paired leaves, one of the pairs usually smaller narrow and brown the other obviously wider at the midpoint of the leaf and with a pale blotch at the base of the leaf. Twigs fuzzy. Fruit small, dark red.

Habitat: Lowland and subalpine scrub and forests.

Flowering: October
Fruiting:    November to March [Berries: Dark Red]

Coprosma robusta (karamu)

Fast-growing shelter, hedging and nurse plant. Competes well with gorse. Laden with bright-orange fruit/seeds January-July, which attracts birds. Shade tolerant. Evergreen. Suits low-frost sites. Evergreen.

Habitat: Common throughout coastal, lowland and lower montane habitats within shrublands and open sites within forest.

Flowering: August to September
Fruiting:    January to July [Berries: Orange]

Coprosma rotundifolia (round-leaved coprosma)

An attractive upright shrub with soft, thin, quite rounded pale-green leaves and interlaced branches. The flowers and orange-red berries are in small clusters.

Habitat: Lowland to montane. Usually in riparian forest and shrubland, especially on alluvial soils or those derived from calcareous parent materials.

Flowering: September - November
Fruiting:    September - August [Berries: Orange]

Coprosma virescens (mikimiki)

Upright shrub or small tree with attractive thin, pale-green leaves. Bark is mottled grey, pale-yellow and cream. The fruit are white or green-tinged, sometimes mottled with black.

Habitat: Lowland to lower montane. On well drained to poorly draining fertile soils (often overlying calcareous or base-rich igneous rocks). In forest and shrubland.

Flowering: September - November
Fruiting:    May - July [Berries: White]

Cordyline australis (ti kouka, cabbage tree)

One of the most identifiable New Zealand native plants in the landcape. It has a tall straight trunk or trunks and a dense round head, with a sphere of long narrow leaves. Cabbage tree produces a profusion of attractive and scented flowers in spring. It is an abundant seeder. It looks most natural in the ornamental garden if planted in groups. Three or more plants can be planted together in the same hole to produce this effect. It grows in all soils and situations, even in swampy ground, where little else of interest will grow.

Habitat: Widespread and common from coastal to montane forest. Most commonly encountered on alluvial terraces within riparian forest.

Flowering: October to December
Fruiting:    January to April [Fruit: White]

Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (kahikatea, white pine)

The tallest growing native tree, featuring handsome mature foliage and attractive buttressed roots. Best planted in moist to wet situations. The main tree species in Riccarton Bush. Edible fruit/seed from February to April is attractive to birds. Evergreen. Intolerant of heavy frosts.

Habitat: Lowland forest, formerly dominant on frequently flooded, and/or poorly drained alluvial soils. Occasionally extends into lower montane forest. Once the dominant tree of a distinct swamp forest type all but extinct in the North Island - the best examples remain on the West Coast of the South Island.

Flowering: October - January
Fruiting:    February - April [Fruit: Red]

Fuscospora cliffortioides (tewhai rauriki, mountain beech) [Out of Stock]

Graceful medium sized tree, smaller and slower than Black Beech and with a finer leaf. Tolerates hard, infertile, poorly-drained sites in alpine areas.

Habitat: Found in montane and subalpine forest and subalpine scrub. Often forming a dense, almost monospecific forest especially along the drier eastern side of the South Island.

Flowering: November to January
Fruiting:    February to April

Fuscospora fusca (tawhai raunui, red beech)

Handsome specimen and timber tree. Young trees have bright-red foliage during winter. Rapid early growth. Strong durable red wood. Can clip to a formal hedge. Suits a cool, moist, sheltered site with deep, well-drained soil. Evergreen.

Habitat: Found in lowland and montane forests.

Flowering: September to December
Fruiting: 

Fuscospora solandri (tawhai rauriki, black beech) [Out of Stock]

Tall, attractive tree with black bark and tough leathery leaves. Wind-hardier than other beeches. Suits moderately fertile, well-drained soils at low altitude in drier eastern areas. Evergreen.

Habitat: Lowland to montane forest. At times the canopy dominant and forming its own distinctive forest type.

Flowering: September to December
Fruiting: 

Griselinia littoralis (kapuka, broadleaf) [Out of Stock]

Small, round-headed tree with light-green leathery leaves. Excellent for hedging or shelter. Withstands drought and coastal conditions. Trim in summer.

Habitat: Found in lowland forests to subalpine scrub.

Flowering: October to December
Fruiting:    December to August [Fruit: Purple]

Kunzea serotina (kanuka) [Out of Stock]

The Kunzea serotina and other Kunzea species are not grazed by any livestock or browsing animal. This makes them good to plant in areas where livestock is currently grazed but more regeneration needs to occur for a proper revegetation programme. As the Kanuka become established, they provide a canopy for more tender or slow-growing species. 

Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand, Kunzea serotina is found on the lower portions of the Canterbury plains, whereas K. robusta is on the hills such as the Port Hills and Foothill regions.

Flowering: November to May
Fruiting: 

Leptospermum scoparium (manuka, tea tree)

A fast growing shrub with abundant white flowers in Summer. The flowers are attractive to bees. The leaves are very small and prickly to touch where as kanuka leaves are soft to touch. Both manuka and kanuka are used as a nurse crop with other early colonizing plants for revegetation / restoration planting and are also very effective in erosion control.

Habitat: Abundant from coastal situations to low alpine habitats.

Flowering: December to March
Fruiting:    Throughout the year

Myrsine australis (mapau, red matipo) [Out of Stock]

Forms a handsome large shrub or tree with distinctive red branchlets and wavy leaf margins. Similar in appearance to Pittosporum tenuifolium. The white flowers and later the black fruit are in clusters below the leaves. Used as a specimen, shrub border or hedge.

Habitat: Occurs in lowland forests. Common tree of regenerating and mature forest in coastal to montane situations.

Flowering: December - April
Fruiting:    October - February [Fruit: Black]

Myrsine divaricata (mapau, weeping matipo)

Myrsine divaricata is a small evergreen, bushy shrub, with spreading, drooping branches, which can grow to 3m high. The drooping branches give rise to woody interlacing (divaricating) branchlets bearing solitary leaves or leaves in groups. Tiny flowers, with pale yellow or red petals, occur in clusters. Evergreen.

Habitat: Found in subalpine scrub and forests, preferably where the ground is moist.

Flowering: June to November
Fruiting:    August to April

Olearia avicenniifolia (mountain akeake)

Autumn flowering - sweet showy, daisy like flowers. Silver / green large leaf. Very hardy bushy shrub tolerates exposure and dry sites.

Habitat: Occurs in scrub from sea-level to 900m.

Flowering: January - April
Fruiting:    February - April

Phormium cookianum (wharariki, mountain flax)

A superb species, one of the hardiest and the most striking. Long arching green leaves all year round, and 2 metre long flower stalks over summer - particularly attractive to native birds. Use as a 'groundbreaker' in new gardens, en masse on banks. Foliage and flowers are great for floral artwork.

Habitat: Strictly confined to subalpine, alpine situations.

Flowering: October to December
Fruiting:    January to March

Phormium tenax (harakeke, swamp flax)

One of the oldest plant species in New Zealand and it is unique to New Zealand. With its sword-shaped leaves it is a common feature of the New Zealand landscape. It grows up to 2 -3 metres high and its flower stalks can reach up to 4 metres. The flowers are brownish red in Summer, followed by black seed pods that stand upright from the stems. It is very hardy and fast growing with wide environmental tolerances. It will grow in dry and wet conditions, withstand strong and coastal winds and are frost hardy. It is used for hedging or shelter and in mixed native planting. It is also a pioneer plant meaning it should be one of the species planted first in a restoration planting plan as it establishes quickly when planted and shelters other plants.

Habitat: Common from lowland and coastal areas to montane forest, usually but not exclusively, in wetlands and in open ground along riversides.

Flowering: October to December
Fruiting:    January to March

Pittosporum eugenioides (tarata, lemonwood)

Bushy tree ideal as specimen or hedging. Lemon scented foliage and fragrant flowers (spring).

Habitat: Common tree of regenerating and mature forest in coastal to montane situations.

Flowering: October to January
Fruiting:    February to May [Fruit: Black]

Pittosporum tenuifolium (kohuhu, black matipo)

Extremely popular, adaptable and quick-growing. Shiny light-green foliage with wavy margins and reddish brown branchlets. Fragrant dark red flowers in spring. Exellent plant for hedging and shelter.

Habitat: A small tree of coastal to montane shrubland and forested habitats. Preferring successional habitats.

Flowering: October - January
Fruiting:    February - May

Plagianthus regius (manatu, lowland ribbonwood)

Deciduous tree grown for its foliage and flowers. Oval serrated leaves followed by tiny bracts of green/white flowers.

Habitat: Coastal to lower montane. Often a prominent tree in lowland alluvial forest.

Flowering: September - November
Fruiting:    December - January

Pseudopanax arboreus (whauwhaupaku, fivefinger)

This is one of New Zealand's most common native trees found from Cape Reinga to Bluff in lowland forests. Its particular form of a glossy, five to seven fingered leaf along with quick and luxuriant growth. It grows into a small stout tree up to 5 metres high and grows well in most soils and situations. Fast growing with small purplish black berries in autumn.

Habitat: Coastal to montane (10-750 m a.s.l.). Moist broadleaf forest. Frequently epiphytic. A frequent component of secondary forest. Streamsides and forest margins.

Flowering: June to August
Fruiting: August to February [Fruit: Black]

Pseudopanax crassifolius (horoeka / lancewood)

Endemic to New Zealand, widespread and common. Has a unique juvenile form, long lance-like leaves for many years. Becomes round-headed tree with a smooth fluted trunk. Wind resistant. Likes well-drained soil. Frost tender when young.

Habitat: Lowland to montane forest. Sealevel to 750 m

Flowering: January to April
Fruiting: January to April [Fruit: Purple]

Sophora microphylla (small-leaved kowhai)

A small-leaved kowhai which often goes through a tangled juvenile stage. There are many varying forms, some taking many years to flower. Suitable for planting as a shade tree.

Habitat: In the North Island, especially the northern half this is a species of mainly riparian forest. South of about Hamilton it can be found in a diverse range of habitats from coastal cliff faces and associated wetlands to inland grey scrub communities.

Flowering: August to October
Fruiting: October to May

Veronica salicifolia (koromiko, hebe salicifolia)

Fast-growing large, spreading shrub. Provides good low shelter and is an excellent revegetation plant. It has showy white to pale lilac drooping flowers and willow-like foliage. Prefers a moist soil. Trim after flowering in a garden setting.

Habitat: Occurs from sea-level to close to the treeline, mostly in open sites, and in forest.

Flowering: December to June
Fruiting: January to June

Veronica traversii (hebe traversii)

Erect bushy shrub with green branchlets. Oblong narrow dull mid green leaves, dull green underneath. The white flowers with red stamans, are long and loose making a great show in spring over a long period. It will grow in sun or semi-shade, best in well drained soil, will grow in dry sites. Hardy to cold. A very tidy plant that clips well, and stays looking great for many years.

Habitat: Grows in scrub and at forest margins, often in river valleys, in situations ranging from near-coastal to montane or subalpine.

Flowering: December to March
Fruiting: