Botanical Name: Brachyglottis repanda
Family: Asteraceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Tribe: Senecioneae
Genus: Brachyglottis
Species: B. repanda
Synonyms: Cineraria repanda G.Forst., Senecio georgii Endl. Senecio forsteri Hook.f., Brachyglottis rangiora Buchanan, Brachyglottis rangiora Hort., Brachyglottis repanda var. fragrans D.G.Drury, Brachyglottis repanda J.R.Forst. et G.Forst. var. repanda
Common Names: Bushman’s Toilet Paper
Other common names in Maori (beyond rangiora) include Kouaha, Pukapuka, Pukariao, Puke-rangiora, Raur?kau, Raur?kau, Wharangi, or Wharangi-tawhito.
Habitat:. Brachyglottis repanda is native to New Zealand. It is a coastal to montane forest and scrub.
Description:
Brachyglottis repanda is a small, bushy tree or tall shrub growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate. It is endemic to New Zealand.
It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The leaves are between 5-25 X 5-20 cm broad with lobed margins. The petioles of the leaves have a characteristic groove up to 10 cm long. The large leaves with a soft furry underside have been referred to as “bushman’s toilet paper”.
The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects.
Shrub to small tree up to 6 m or more tall. Trunk one or more arising from ground, covered in somewhat corky bark. Branches stout, spreading, rather brittle, initially densely clad in fine white to buff tomentum becoming glabrescent with age. Petiole stout, grooved, 80-100 mm long. Leaves leathery, 50-250(-300) X 50-20(-30) mm, dark green to pale green above, undersides clad in fine, appressed vivid white hairs, broad- to ovate-oblong, obtuse to subacute, obliquely cordate to truncate at base, margins distantly dentately lobed to sinuate. Inflorescence a much branched panicle. Capitula 5 mm diam., numerous, without ligules (discoid). Involucral bracts 3 mm long, narrow-oblong to narrow spathulate, margins scarious except at base. Florets 10-12, yellow. Seeds (cypsela) narrowly oblong-elliptic to oblong elliptic, 1-1.8 mm long, ribs 6, rounded, broad. Pappus 2-3 mm, buff-yellow, scabrid.
Cultivation:
Requires a good well-drained loamy soil in a sunny position or partial shade. Plants are quite frost-tender and only succeed outdoors in Britain in the mildest areas of the country. Some named forms have been developed for their ornamental value. The flowers emit the sweet scent of mignonette, this is most pronounced at eventide.
Edible Uses:
A gum is obtained from the plant and is used for chewing. It should not be swallowed, however, and in light of the warning on toxicity at the bottom of the page, perhaps it should not even be chewed.
Medicinal Uses:
Maori used the plant for a number of medicinal uses. The leaves were used for wounds and old ulcerated sores, and the gum was chewed for foul breath but was poisonous if swallowed.
Other Uses:
The plant has large sage-green leaves with a white, hairy underside. They are used as a substitute for toilet paper
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachyglottis_repanda
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Brachyglottis+repanda
https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/brachyglottis-repanda/
