''Alseuosmia macrophylla'', the toropapa or karapapa, is a plant

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the family

Alseuosmiaceae Alseuosmiaceae is a plant family of the order Asterales found in Australia, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. They are shrubs with leaves arranged in spirals or whorls about the stem. The flowers are solitary or borne in raceme or fascicle inflor ...

. This is a small evergreen shrub which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, along with two closely related species. An example occurrence of ''A. macrophylla'' is in the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of the Hamilton Ecological District, where '' Blechnum discolor'' and '' Blechnum filiforme'' are understory elements with '' Nothofagus truncata'' and

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a dioecious evergreen conifer, reaching heights of up to , and can have a stout trunk (botany), trunk up to in diameter. It is endemis ...

overstory In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, the canopy is the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and includ ...

. 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 In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...

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.Fiona Eadie. 100 best native plants for New Zealand gardens. p113-115.

References

Thomas Frederic Cheeseman Thomas Frederick Cheeseman (8 June 184515 October 1923) was a New Zealand botanist. He was also a naturalist who had wide-ranging interests, such that he even described a few species of sea slugs (marine gastropod molluscs). Biography Che ...

. 1906. ''Manual of the New Zealand Flora: Published Under the Authority of the Government of New Zealand'', published by J. Mackay, government printer, 1199 pages * C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg

Line notes

Alseuosmiaceae {{Asterales-stub