kōwaowao

Zealandia pustulata subsp. pustulata | hound’s tongue, kōwaowao, pāraharaha

 

A common New Zealand epiphytic fern that climbs tree trunks or trails along fallen logs, rocks, and the forest floor, also working well as a low groundcover in moist, shaded sites. Its broad, leathery, glossy bright green fronds with conspicuous veins give a distinctly lush, tropical character, while thick, fleshy rhizomes with large, appressed scales anchor it securely to bark and substrate. Young fronds emerge a very pale, translucent green before slowly darkening as they mature. Slow spreading and adaptable, it can grow terrestrially or ascend vertical surfaces, often seen climbing up nīkau trunks in damp forest conditions.