''Radula marginata'', or Wairuakohu, is a species of plant in the genus ''

Radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

'', a genus of

liverwort The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...

s. It is endemic 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 ...

. It has been found to contain

cannabinoid Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found in the cannabis plant primarily and most animal organisms (although insects lack such receptors) or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tet ...

Cannabinoids

Users smoking the plant have experienced different effects. The

is not

THC Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term ''THC' ...

, the main psychoactive chemical in

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

, but it is of similar molecular structure. The liverwort contains

perrottetinene Perrottetinene is a naturally occurring cannabinoid compound found in liverworts from the genus ''Radula'' native to Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica, namely '' Radula perrottetii'', ''Radula marginata'' and ''Radula laxiramea'', along with a nu ...

and perrottetinenic acid. The quantity of cannabinoid present is much less than in cannabis.

Perrottetinene Perrottetinene is a naturally occurring cannabinoid compound found in liverworts from the genus ''Radula'' native to Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica, namely '' Radula perrottetii'', ''Radula marginata'' and ''Radula laxiramea'', along with a nu ...

has been shown to be a moderately potent CB₁ agonist leading to mild psychoactive effects in mice.

Legal status

The liverwort grows as a common

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

. Owning, growing and distributing the liverwort is legal. ''Radula marginata'' may have been used in

rongoā refers to the traditional Māori medicinal practices in New Zealand. Rongoā was one of the Māori cultural practices targeted by the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, until lifted by the Maori Welfare Act 1962. In the later part of the 20th centur ...

(Māori herbal medicine), but there is no firm evidence of this.

References

Porellales Flora of New Zealand {{Bryophyte-stub