Freycinetia banksii
Freycinetia banksii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Freycinetia banksii is found in the subtropical and warm temperate climate of New Zealand, where it succeeds in coastal regions as far south as latitude 42°. It grows best in areas of moderate to high rainfall[1, 2]. If the growing tip of a stem is damaged, the stem will resprout and branch from another bud. This makes leaf harvest very easy - simply grasp a bunch of about 20 leaves and wrench them from the tuft. Harvesting leaves using this traditional manner does not harm the plant, and in fact encourages resprouting from the damaged site[2]. It is customary to protect the bracts and fruit from rats by tying leaves over the flower spikes[2]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms are required if fruit and seed are required[2].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Freycinetia+banksii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Flora of New Zealand. — Allan. H. H. · Government Printer, Wellington. · 1961 · http://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Book.aspx?fileName=Flora%201.xml · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work, in 5 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats. There is also an on-line version.
- [2]Weaving Plants - biology, distribution, and propagation — Scheele S. · 2020 · https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/plants/ethnobotany/weaving-plants ↩︎A series of twelve factsheets on the main traditional plants used by the Maori for weaving into baskets, mats etc. Accessed 20/05/2020.
- [3]People Plants Database — https://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/default.aspx ↩︎An online database of New Zealand plants and their Maori names and uses. An excellent information source.