''Elatostema rugosum'', commonly known as parataniwha or New Zealand begonia is a
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 ...
ground cover plant that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...
to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
''Elatostema rugosum'' grows up to high in wet, shaded places such as gullies and streamsides. It has long green-purple leaves with prominent veins and a saw-like edge.
The common name parataniwha, roughly translates to "home of the taniwha" and suggests the presence of a taniwha, a powerful supernatural being in
Māori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's Māori may be divided. Māori myths concern fantastic tales relating to the origins of what was the observable world for the pr ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5353610
Flora of New Zealand
rugosum