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| Category: Tree |
| Family: Araliaceae (Ginsengs) |
| Origin: New Zealand (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Greenish White |
| Bloomtime: Not Significant |
| Height: 12-20 feet |
| Width: 15-20 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Meryta sinclairii (Puka) - A round-headed small tree to 18 feet tall with long-petioled large, 1 to 1 1/2 foot long, glossy green paddle-shaped leaves at the ends of the dark brown branches. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same plant and neither are showy. Fleshy, black fruit is produced after the bloom. Plant in full sun to light shade and water occasionally. Though reported to not tolerate much frost is has proven to be hardy to at least 25 F for short durations in our garden. A great tree for near frost free gardens and even takes coastal winds. Its bold foliage also makes it good in containers. This plant comes from near the coast and on the small coastal islands in Three Kings and Hen and Chicken of the north Island of New Zealand. It has never been common and in fact was rare even when William Collenso (1811-1899), a 19th century British missionary and botanist was first shown a single guarded specimen by local Maoris. Though Collenso was not allowed to even touch the plant, he later showed the tree to Dr Andrew Sinclair, (1794–1861), Colonial Secretary and naturalist and together were able to collect leaf specimens that made it to Kew. Independently, additional specimens made their way to Dr. Joseph Hooker at Kew who named the plant Botryodendrum sinclairii to honor Dr. Sinclair. It was later put in the genus Meryta. We grew this very nice plant from 1997 until 2013 at which time we were no longer able to obtain viable seed and vegetative propagation became difficult becaue rodents found a liking to eating the stems of our container plants. Would likley grow it again if we could again get seed.
The information about Meryta sinclairii displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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