''Piper excelsum'' (formerly known as ''Macropiper excelsum'') of the pepper family (Piperaceae) and commonly known as kawakawa, is a small tree of which the subspecies ''P. excelsum'' subsp. ''excelsum'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

; the subspecies ''P. e.'' subsp. ''psittacorum'' is found on

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

and the

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( ; ) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total area and uninhabit ...

Description

Kawakawa is found throughout the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

, and as far south as

Ōkārito Ōkārito is a small coastal settlement on the west Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, southwest of Hokitika, and from . It is built at the southern end of the Ōkārito Lagoon at the mouth of the Ōkārito River. Th ...

(43.20 °S) on the West Coast, and Banks Peninsula (43.5 °S) on the east coast of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. The tree grows to . The leaves are often covered with holes caused by the caterpillar of the kawakawa looper moth (''Cleora scriptaria''). The images depict the variety ''majus'' which has larger and more glossy leaves than ''P. excelsum''.

Leaves

Kawakawa leaves are about 5–10 cm long by 6–12 cm wide; they are opposite to each other, broadly rounded with a short drawn-out tip and are heart-shaped at their bases. The leaves are deep green in colour if growing in the forest, but may be yellowish-green in more open situations.

Flowers

The flowers are produced on greenish, erect spikes 2.5–7.5 cm long. Kawakawa flowers are quite minute and very closely placed around the spike. After pollination the flowers gradually swell and become fleshy to form small, berry-like fruits that are yellow to bright orange.

Berries

Each berry cluster is the size of a small finger. Ripening period is January and February. These fruits are favoured by

kererū The kererū (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae''), also known as kūkupa (Māori language#Northern dialects, northern Māori dialects), New Zealand pigeon or wood pigeon, is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin describ ...

or New Zealand pigeon (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae'') and

tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze coloured with a distinctive white throat tuft (poi). It is an endemism, endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the on ...

(''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'').

Uses

Kawakawa was used as a traditional medicinal plant of the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. An infusion made from the leaves or roots was used or its leaves were chewed to relieve toothache, and wounds were often bound in kawakawa leaves. The sweet edible yellow berries (most often found in summer on female trees) of the plant were eaten as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...

. Traditionally, leaves with holes that had been eaten by caterpillars were considered the best to use. In cultural contexts, host people of a

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

wave leaves of kawakawa to welcome guests. At a tangi, both hosts and guests may wear wreaths of kawakawa on the head as a sign of mourning. Early European settlers to New Zealand used kawakawa in teas, and experimented using it as a flavouring agent in beer. It is commonly grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

in gardens.New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: ''Piper excelsum'' subsp. ''excelsum''
/ref> Kawakawa essential oil contains

myristicin Myristicin is a naturally occurring compound (an allylbenzene) found in common herbs and spices such as nutmeg. It is an insecticide, and has been shown to enhance the effectiveness of other insecticides. When ingested in high doses, myristicin ...

, a

deliriant Deliriants are a subclass of hallucinogen. The term was coined in the early 1980s to distinguish these drugs from psychedelics such as LSD and dissociatives such as ketamine, due to their primary effect of causing delirium, as opposed to th ...

when consumed in high concentrations.

Relationship with kava

Kawakawa is sometimes called "Māori kava" and is often confused with the

kava Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Ancient Greek, Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the Piperaceae, pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan language, Tongan and Marqu ...

plant ( ''Piper methysticum''). While the two plants look similar and have similar names, they are different, albeit related, species. Kava is a traditional plant and beverage of the South Pacific. The roots of the plant are used to produce a drink with medicinal,

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...

anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...

euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

nt, and

entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances used in spiritual and religious contexts to induce altered states of consciousness. Hallucinogens such as the psilocybin found in so-called "magic" mushrooms have been used in sacred contexts since ancie ...

ic properties. It is most likely not a coincidence that this plant has a similar name to kawakawa. One source stated: "In New Zealand, where the climate is too cold for kava, the Māori gave the name kawa-kawa to another Piperaceae, ''P. excelsum'', in memory of the kava plants they undoubtedly brought with them and unsuccessfully attempted to cultivate. The Māori word kawa also means "ceremonial protocol", recalling the stylised consumption of the drug typical of Polynesian societies."

Common name

The name ''kawakawa'' comes from the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

, where it refers to the bitter taste of the leaves, from ''kawa'' or bitter.

Gallery

Excelsum subsp. excelsum PB220212.jpg Piper excelsum subsp. excelsum PB220213.jpg Piper excelsum subsp. excelsum PB220217.jpg KawakawaLeaves877.jpg, leaves and fruiting spikes Piper excelsum excelsum G.Forst. (AM AK118988).jpg,

Auckland Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

herbarium specimen

Notes

References

External links

*
Kawakawa, In: The Encyclopedia of Alternative & Natural Medicine
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q21306444, from2=Q6725539 Flora of Norfolk Island Magnoliids of Australia excelsum Trees of New Zealand Trees of Australia Spices Ornamental trees Plants used in traditional Māori medicine Flora of Lord Howe Island Māori cuisine Plants described in 1786 Taxa named by Georg Forster