''Pseudopanax'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "false ginseng") is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of 12–20 species of evergreen plants, the majority of which are

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. Flowers of the genus occur in terminal

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

Taxonomy

A 2000 molecular study established that several species within the genus were only distantly related to the core group of New Zealand species related the type species ''P. crassifolius''. They were removed to the genus '' Raukaua''.

Distribution and habitat

''Pseudopanax'' occur in forest or scrub environments. The genus contains some remarkable small trees with distinctly different juvenile and adult forms, such as '' Pseudopanax crassifolius'' and ''

Pseudopanax ferox ''Pseudopanax ferox'', the toothed lancewood or horoeka, is a small tree endemic to New Zealand. It is similar to the more common lancewood, ''Pseudopanax crassifolius'', but with more prominently tooth-shaped leaves. The juvenile leaves are a ...

'' (commonly referred to as 'lancewood' and 'toothed lancewood', respectively). ''

Pseudopanax arboreus ''Pseudopanax arboreus'' or five finger (Māori: ''puahou'' or ''whauwhaupaku''), is a New Zealand native tree belonging to the family Araliaceae. It is one of New Zealand's more common native trees, being found widely in bush, scrub and garden ...

'' (common name "five-finger") is a very common small tree in New Zealand native forests. '' Pseudopanax simplex'' occurs on the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

south of the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roun ...

; in Westland and other

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

forests; as well as on

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

Cultivation

Many of the species are popular in New Zealand gardens, but are rather rare in cultivation elsewhere, requiring mild, moist conditions similar to those in New Zealand, without extremes of temperature in winter and summer. They reportedly grow well in

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and warmer parts of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. A number of cultivars have been developed, mostly of ''Pseudopanax lessonii''. These include 'Gold Splash', which has yellow variegated leaves, and 'Nigra' which has dark purple-brown foliage. A National Trust listed specimen of Pseudopanax crassifolius exists on the Alton property at Mount Macedon, Victoria, Australia, which is 21 metres high and has an 11.5 m spread. Its age is estimated at 100 years.

Host plant

In New Zealand various species in this genus have been shown to be the host plant for the larvae of '' Scolopterus penicillatus'', a common endemic weevil. The larvae develop in recently dead bark.

References

* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
*

John Tenison Salmon John Tenison Salmon (28 June 1910 – 4 May 1999) was a New Zealand photographer, entomologist, academic, conservationist, and author. His primary occupation was as an entomologist; first at the Dominion Museum (which later became Te Papa) and ...

, Jason Carter and Geoff Walker. 1986. ''The native trees of New Zealand'', Published by Reed Methuen, 384 pp ,

Line notes

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2670790 Apiales genera