Alseuosmia macrophylla
A. Cunn.
Karapapa, Toropapa
(c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) bbi2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by bbi2
(c) bbi2, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by bbi2
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit is edible.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
New Zealand*,
How to Identify
A shrub. The leaves are in rings. The flowers are funnel shaped. The fruit is a fleshy berry.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Alseuosmia macrophylla, the toropapa or karapapa, is a plant species in the family Alseuosmiaceae. This is a small evergreen shrub which is endemic to New Zealand, along with two closely related species. An example occurrence of A. macrophylla is in the North Island habitat of the Hamilton Ecological District, where Blechnum discolor and Blechnum filiforme are understory elements with Nothofagus truncata and rimu overstory. This plant is known for the pleasant scent of its flowers, and its family name translates as "perfumed grove". The small red berries of toropapa are edible and sweet tasting. As a forest understory plant, toropapa will not tolerate full sunlight or frost, and needs its roots to stay moist and cool, however so long as these conditions are met it is reasonably hardy, and is sometimes cultivated as a garden plant.
References (1)
- Crowe, A., 1997, A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Penguin. p 26
