Use this guide and the photos and images to help identify common New Zealand flowering native trees and shrubs.This is not a definitive guide but describes the more common flowering trees and shrubs you may encounter in the wild or at a garden centre. Browse the list below if you know the species name, or follow links for more information. For Pittosporum use this key For Conifers or Gymnosperms use this key For Coprosma use this excellent key from Landcare research or this page For Beech use this key Also check the New Zealand Plant Conservation Website and Flora of New Zealand. Plant Phytography blog Phytography(Gr. phyton: plant; grapho: to write) The branch of botany that deals with the descriptive terminology of plants and their parts. It provides the vocabulary for plant description, identification, and classification. This site presents a daily botanical term with an explanation of the word, its meaning and a photograph that demonstrates the term. All photos are New Zealand native plants. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hibiscus trionum Leaves trifoliate 4-10 cm. Obvious flowers. Possibly introduced by early settlers and not native. Shrubs with simple leaves longer than 2cm.![]() ![]() Coprosma grandifolia syn. Coprosma australis Raurekau Leaves 10-22 cm long, dull green or mottled. Shrub or small tree reaching 7m. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Hoheria populnea Lacebark Houhere. Leaves 5-12 cm long, often purplish beneath. Flowers white. North Cape to Waikato. Colensoa physaloides Koru. Shrub to 1.5 m. Leaves 8-18 cm, similar in leaf shape to an Hydrangea. Soft and tender. Flowers and berries purple or violet. North of Whangarei. Melicytus ramiflorus Mahoe Whiteywood. Leaves 5-12 cm. long. Shrub or small tree reaching 10 m. Lowland forest throughout NZ. ![]() ![]() ![]() Pseudopanax crassifolium Horoeka Lancewood. Leaves 7-20 cm. long. Tree reaching 13 m. Distinctive juvenile form with leaves 15-30 cm long. Auckland to Stewart Island. Picture is of adult form. Pisonia brunonnianum Parapara. Small tree or shrub reaching 10m. Leaves 10-40cm long, glossy green. Sticky seeds 3-5 cm long that may trap small birds and insects. Three Kings to East Cape. ![]() ![]() ![]() Grisilinia litoralis Kapuka Broadleaf. Leaves 2-10cm long and assymetrical. Berry 6mm long black. Pomaderris kumerahou Kumerahou, Gumdiggers soap. Leaves 5-8cm. long with prominent veins and midribs. A shrub to 3m. Flowers numerous and bright yellow in spring. North cape to Bay of Plenty. Leucopogon fasiculata Mingimingi Leaves 1-2.5 cm long and arranged in bundles or whorls. Juvenile form with larger leaves. Shrub reaching 5m. Often found in dry spots North cape to Canterbury.
Sophora prostrata Dwarf Kowhai . Excessively divaricating shrub with zigzag branches. Leaves 1-3 cm made of 3-11 leaflets. Banks Peninsula but common in gardens
Small leaved shrubs with alternate leaves and toothed or lobed margins
Melicope simplex Leaves 1-2cm long, winged petiole. Shrub reaching 4 m. Climbers
Metrosideros carminea. Leaves 1.5-3cm long. Carmine red flowers. Mangonui to East Cape. Trees with simple leaves
Elaeocarpus dentatus Hinau. Tall forest tree to 35 m. leaves 8-15cm.long. Bottom of leaf has pits at the midrib vein
Metrosideros excelsa pohutukawa NZ Christmas tree. Tree reaching 25m. Leaves2-10cm long, leathery and with a hairy underside.
Trees with Compound leavesTree reaching 13 metresl Leaves 7-25cm long; leaflets 3-8cm long, mild serrations on marginsSophora microphylla Kowhai Leaves of 25-40 leaflets each leaflet 6-8mm long. Tree reaching 10 metres with a distinct divaricating juvenile form.Deciduous
Dysoxylum spectabile kohekohe. Tall forest tree to 25m. For Pittosporum use this key For Conifers or Gymnosperms use this key For Coprosma use this excellent key from Landcare research or this page For Beech use this key Also check the New Zealand Plant Conservation Website and Flora of New Zealand. Also check out Teachers and Students. Free educational resourcesSlideshows ready to use in the classroom, or for student projects. Five slideshows that cover the special features of New Zealand plants with many examples of how plants are adapted to their environment. Educational resources from here
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