Practical
Plants

Pseudopanax arboreus

Puahou

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Pseudopanax genus in the family Araliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Height
6 m
Spread
4 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves[2]. The same report then goes on to say that the leaves are much too bitter to be edible[2].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
New Zealand.
Habitat
Forests and open scrub from sea-level to 760 metres from North Cape to Southland.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 10+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown when ripe in the autumn in a warm greenhouse[3]. The seed can be slow to germinate. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[3]. Air layering[3].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a moist but well-drained humus-rich soil in semi-shade or full sun[3]. Not very hardy in Britain, plants tolerate temperatures down to about -5°c provided they are in a warm sheltered location[3]. Whilst they can succeed outdoors in the mildest parts of the country, they are not hardy at Kew[1]. Plants often start out life as epiphytes on the stems of tree ferns, eventually rooting into the ground[1]. Large plants respond well to heavy pruning and careful transplanting[3]. Plants have three distinctive forms of foliage at different stages in their life-cycles, the second stage, as a sapling, is often the most interesting[3]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302

    ↩1↩2

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

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