pēpepe

Machaerina sinclairii | pēpepe, tūhara

 

A native grass forming clumps of glossy, strap-like leaves, growing to about 80 cm tall and 1.5 m wide. In summer, it's adorned with graceful, arching red-brown flower heads. Thriving in damp shade, streamsides, and pond margins, pēpepe is versatile, found from coastal to montane areas up to 900m above sea level. It often dominates cliff face seepages but also flourishes around cave entrances, along riverbanks, streamsides, and in steep gorges within tall forests. This adaptable plant is commonly used in revegetation, riparian plantings, mass plantings on banks, or as underplanting for trees and shrubs, and cottage gardens.

steep slope

streamsides

lowland forest

riparian forest

moist

wet

partial shade

full sun

height | 80 cm

width | 1.5m

flowering |  September–December

fruiting |  November–April (but old inflorescences present throughout the year)

Now widely available from garden centres and nurseries, is easily propagated from fresh seed or by dividing established clumps. While it thrives in consistently damp soil and tolerates both full sun and shade, flowering is most prolific in full sun.