List of Māori plant common names

This is a list of Māori plant common names. In some cases, a Māori name may apply to two or more species, either similar visually or in terms of traditional use.

A–H Māori nameAlternative name(s)Scientific nameImageNotesAkakuraCarmine rātāMetrosideros carminea AkateaWhite rātāMetrosideros albifloraMetrosideros perforata AkeakeTree daisyBroadleaf hopbushDodonaea viscosaOlearia avicenniifoliaOlearia traversiorum AruheBrackenPteridium esculentum HarakekeNew Zealand flax Phormium tenax Heketara Olearia raniLepidium oleraceum Heruheru Single crape fernPrince of Wales feathers Leptopteris hymenophylloidesLeptopteris superba The image is of L. superba. HinauNew Zealand privet Elaeocarpus dentatusGeniostoma ligustrifolium Also known in Māori as hangehange.HoroekaLancewood Pseudopanax crassifolius HorokakaIce plant Disphyma australe Horopito Pseudowintera sp. HouhereLacebark Hoheria sp. Houpara Pseudopanax lessonii Huruhuruwhenua Shining spleenwort Asplenium oblongifolium Hutu Ascarina lucida

K–M Māori nameAlternative name(s)Scientific nameImageNotesKahakaha Bush lilyBush flaxWidow makerAstelia fragransAstelia hastata KahikateaWhite pine Dacrycarpus dacrydioides KaikawakaNew Zealand cedar Libocedrus bidwillii Also known in Māori as pāhauteaKaikōmako Pennantia corymbosa Kāmahi Pterophylla racemosa KānukaWhite tea-tree Kunzea ericoides KapukaNew Zealand broadleaf Griselinia littoralis Also called pāpāuma in Māori. Karaka New Zealand laurel Corynocarpus laevigatus Karamū Coprosma robusta The name karamū is also used as part of the name of Coprosma lucida (Shining karamū) and Coprosma macrocarpa (Coastal karamū). Kareao SupplejackRipogonum scandens Also called pirita in Māori.Karo Stiffleaf cheesewood Pittosporum crassifolium Also called kaikaro or kihiki in Māori.Kātote Soft tree fernAlsophila smithiiCyathea smithii Kauri Agathis sp. The Māori term kauri is used around the world for various species; in New Zealand it almost always refers to the Agathis australis.Kawakawa Piper excelsum See note after Kiwikiwi (below).Kiekie Freycinetia banksii Kiokio Palm-leaf fern Parablechnum novae-zelandiae The name kiokio is also used as part of the name of Parablechnum procerum (Small or mountain kiokio).KiwikiwiStar fernCreek fern Cranfillia fluviatilisBlechnum fluviatile Also sometimes referred to as kawakawa (qv).KohekoheNew Zealand mahogany Didymocheton spectabilis See note after Kōhia (below).Kōhia New Zealand passionflowerNew Zealand passionfruitPassiflora tetrandra Also sometimes referred to as kohekohe (qv).KōhūhūBlack matipo Pittosporum tenuifolium Also called kohukohu or tawhiwhi in Māori.Korokio tāranga Corokia sp. Koromiko Willow-leaf hebeVeronica salicifoliaVeronica stricta Kōtukutuku Tree fuchsiaNew Zealand fuchsiaFuchsia excorticata Kōwhai Sophora sp. The national flower of New Zealand.Kōwhai ngutu kākā Kākā beakClianthus sp. KūmaraSweet potato Ipomoea batatas KūmarahouGolden tainuiGumdigger's soap Pomaderris kumerahoPomaderris hamiltonii MāhoeWhiteywood Melicytus ramiflorus Makawe Hanging spleenwortDrooping spleenwortWeeping spleenwort Asplenium flaccidum MakomakoWineberry Aristotelia serrata Often simply called Mako in Māori.Mamaku Black tree fernSphaeropteris medullarisCyathea medullaris MānawaGrey mangroveWhite mangrove Avicennia marina Mangemange Bushman's mattress Lygodium articulatum Mānuka Leptospermum scoparium MataīBlack pine Prumnopitys taxifolia Mingimingi Coprosma propinqua The name mingimingi is also used as part of the name of Leucopogon fasciculatus (Tall mingimingi) and Leptecophylla juniperina (Prickly mingimingi)Miro Prumnopitys ferruginea Monoao Silver pineWestland pineDracophyllum subulatumHalocarpus kirkiiManoao colensoi The name monoao is used for two widely different plant types, the shrubby Dracophyllum and the tall trees Halocarpus and Manoao. The image shows shoots of the Halocarpus kirkii.

N–R Māori nameAlternative name(s)Scientific nameImageNotesNeinei SpiderwoodDracophyllum latifolium Image is of closely related species Dracophyllum traversi (Mountain neinei)NgaioMousehole tree Myoporum laetum Ngārara wehi Leather-leaf fern Pyrrosia eleagnifolia Also called ota in MāoriNīkau Nikau palmRhopalostylis sapida Pānoko Thread fern Blechnum filiformeIcarus filiformis Also spelt pānakoParataniwhaBegonia fern Elatostema rugosum Paretao Strap fernFinger fern Notogrammitis billardierei Not to be confused with peretao (qv)Patē Seven-fingerUmbrella tree Schefflera digitata Petako Sickle spleenwort Asplenium polyodon PikopikoHen and chicken fernMother spleenwortCommon shield fern Asplenium bulbiferumPolystichum richardii Also called mouku or mauku in Māori. The term pikopiko is also used for the curled baby shoots of many species of ferns. Peretao Waterfall fern Blechnum colensoi Not to be confused with paretao (qv)Pīngao Golden sand sedgeFicinia spiralis Called pīkao in Southern Māori.Pōhutukawa Metrosideros excelsa Sometimes called "The New Zealand Christmas Tree" due to it regularly blooming in late December.Pōkākā Elaeocarpus hookerianus Ponga Tree fernSilver fern Cyathea dealbata A national symbol of New Zealand.Pūhā Sow thistleHare thistle Sponchus sp. Also called rareke or raraki in Māori.PukaShining broadleaf Griselinia lucidaMeryta sinclairii Also called Akapuka in Māori.Pukatea Laurelia novae-zelandiae Pukupuku Rasp fern Doodia media Rangiora Bushman's friend Brachyglottis repanda Also known by a variety of other Māori names (see article).Rātā Metrosideros sp. See also Akakura and Pōhutukawa (above). Raurenga Kidney fern Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum Rereti Lance water fern Austroblechnum lanceolatumBlechnum chambersii Also called nini in Māori.Rewarewa New Zealand honeysuckleKnightia excelsa Rimu Red pine Dacrydium cupressinum

T–W Māori nameAlternative name(s)Scientific nameImageNotesTānekahaCelery pine Phyllocladus trichomanoides Also called Toatoa (see below) Tarata Lemonwood Pittosporum eugenioides Tarawera Button fern Pellaea rotundifolia Tauhinu Cottonwood Ozothamnus leptophyllusPomaderris phylicifolia Taupata Mirror bushCoprosma repens Taupeka Gypsy fern Ctenopteris heterophyllaNotogrammitis heterophylla Tawa Beilschmiedia tawa Tawāpou Planchonella costataPouteria costata Tāwhai Silver beechNothofagus menziesii Tītoki New Zealand oakAlectryon excelsus Tī kouka Cabbage treeCordyline australis Often simply called Tī in Māori. Known in Britain, where it is an introduced species, as the Torbay or Torquay palm.ToatoaCelery pine Phyllocladus toatoaHaloragis erecta The Tānekaha (qv) is also sometimes called toatoa. The name toatoa is also used as part of the name of Phyllocladus alpinus (Mountain toatoa). The image shown is of Phyllocladus toatoa.Toetoe Toetoe grassAustroderia sp. Tōtara Podocarpus totara TutuToot Coriaria sp. WhararikiMountain flax Phormium colensoiPhormium cookianum Whekī Rough tree fernDicksonia squarrosa Whekī pongaGolden tree fern Dicksonia fibrosa