''Arthropodium cirratum'' (rengarenga, renga lily, New Zealand rock lily, or maikaika) is a species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant, endemic to New Zealand, where it may once have been farmed. It is used for medicine as well as food, and has symbolic importance in traditional Māori culture. The Māori name ''rengarenga'' is a reduplication of Proto-Polynesian *''renga'' which in other related languages corresponds to turmeric, especially its powdered form (see sm, lega, haw, lena); this association is due to both plants' similar stem and root characteristics.

Description

The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are long and wide. The flower stalk often reaches one metre, and bears many white six-petalled flowers, in groups of two or three, each about across. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are tricoloured - purple and white, with yellow at the curled end. The roots are wide. Rengarenga flower (Arthropodium cirrhatum)

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1786 as ''Anthericum cirrhatum'' by Georg Forster. In 1822, Robert Brown assigned it to the genus, ''Arthropodium'', resulting in the name, ''Arthropodium cirrhatum (''now ''A. cirratum.)''

Distribution and habitat

It occurs naturally north of Greymouth and Kaikoura near the sea and, as the name suggests, usually on rocks.

Cultivation and uses

It is often grown as an

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

plant. The

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s are edible when cooked and can be found throughout the year. The rhizomes were once eaten by the Māori after being cooked in a hāngi. William Colenso believed, for two reasons, that this plant was once cultivated by them: firstly, the plant grows much larger under cultivation than it usually does in the wild; and secondly it was often found near old deserted Māori homes and plantations. However, he lists it as only fourteenth in importance, in his list of eighteen kinds of wild vegetable food used by the Māori.

References

cirratum Root vegetables Crops originating from New Zealand {{NewZealand-plant-stub