Introduction
Overview
New Zealand native flowering plants display a remarkable diversity of forms, colours, and ecological strategies. From the iconic kōwhai (Sophora spp.) with its bright yellow blooms to the vibrant red flowers of the pōhutukawa ( Metrosideros excelsa ), these plants provide essential food for native birds and insects. Many species, such as Clianthus maximus (Kākābeak) and Veronica salicifolia (Koromiko) (Hebe salicifolia is a synonym of Veronica salicifolia), are popular in gardens for their ornamental value and ability to attract pollinators. Native flowering plants are crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting biodiversity.
About New Zealand's Native Flowers
New Zealand's native flowering plants offer unique colours and forms that have evolved in isolation. While often more subtle than exotic garden varieties, our native flowers have special adaptations to local conditions and provide essential food for native birds, bees, and other pollinators. Alpine specialists like NZ Plantain showcase remarkable evolutionary adaptations to high-altitude environments, while spectacular bloomers like Mountain Buttercup create brilliant golden carpets of colour across New Zealand's high country. Adding native flowering plants to your garden helps support local ecosystems.
Explore Our Native Flowering Plants
Cushion Daisy
Abrotanella caespitosa
A specialized alpine cushion daisy forming dense, low-growing mats in high-country environments.
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Puatea
Anaphalioides trinervis
Versatile trailing perennial with bright green foliage and delicate white flowers, native to damp New Zealand forests and stream-banks.
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Kopoti
Anisotome aromatica
Robust and highly fragrant alpine perennial forming attractive rosettes of fern-like foliage, endemic to New Zealand.
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Wavy-leaved Anisotome
Anisotome flexuosa
Diminutive alpine perennial with small green rosettes and flexuous stems, endemic to South Island mountain regions.
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Renga Lily
Arthropodium cirratum
Renga Lily is fast-growing with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Hector's Daisy
Celmisia hectori
Stout subshrub forming intensely silvery patches in alpine grassland.
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Silver Cockscomb
Celosia argentea
A vibrant tropical annual known for its striking, flame-like flower plumes and highly nutritious edible leaves.
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Common Sneezeweed
Centipeda cunninghamii
Aromatic erect herb valued traditionally for its medicinal properties.
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Green Bird Orchid
Chiloglottis cornuta
A small terrestrial orchid with distinctive bird-like flowers; prefers cool, damp forest floors.
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Dancing Spider Orchid
Corybas acuminatus
Fascinating terrestrial orchid with long, thread-like sepals and a heart-shaped leaf, endemic to New Zealand.
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Cheeseman's Spider Orchid
Corybas cheesemanii
A tiny terrestrial orchid with a helmet-like flower, found in deep leaf litter of shaded forests.
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Veined Helmet Orchid
Corybas diemenicus
Delicate terrestrial orchid with helmet-shaped flowers and prominent crimson veining, found in moist forest floors.
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Spider Orchid
Corybas oblongus
Widespread terrestrial orchid with a distinctive oval leaf and intricate crimson flowers, endemic to New Zealand.
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Dark Spider Orchid
Corybas obscurus
Striking terrestrial orchid with nearly black flowers, found in the damp leaf litter of beech forests.
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St George's Spider Orchid
Corybas sanctigeorgianus
Rare and localized terrestrial orchid with a velvety white and red flower, endemic to the North Island.
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Common Spider Orchid
Corybas trilobus
A highly variable terrestrial orchid forming dense colonies in diverse shaded habitats.
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Glass Spider Orchid
Corybas vitreus
A tiny terrestrial orchid with a translucent center, endemic to New Zealand's moist forest floors.
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Tūrutu
Dianella nigra
Tūrutu is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Smooth Willow Herb
Epilobium glabellum
Smooth Willow Herb is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Star Cudweed
Euchiton sphaericus
A resilient and adaptable native herb with silvery-grey foliage and distinctive globe-like flower clusters.
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Shore Spurge
Euphorbia glauca
Shore Spurge is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Tree Fuchsia
Fuchsia excorticata
Tree Fuchsia is fast-growing with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Trailing Fuchsia
Fuchsia procumbens
Trailing Fuchsia is fast-growing with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Black Orchid
Gastrodia cunninghamii
Unique chlorophyll-lacking orchid with a dark stem and white flowers, a parasitic native of New Zealand forests.
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Molloy's Potato Orchid
Gastrodia molloyi
Rare leafless saprophytic orchid with tall golden-brown stems and sweet-scented flowers, endemic to New Zealand forests.
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Cinnamon Bells
Gastrodia sesamoides
Leafless saprophytic orchid with bell-shaped flowers, a cinnamon fragrance, found in New Zealand and Australia.
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Chatham Island Geranium
Geranium traversii
Chatham Island Geranium is coastal-tolerant with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Hamilton's Gunnera
Gunnera hamiltonii
Hamilton's Gunnera is resilient with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Small Gunnera
Gunnera monoica
Small Gunnera is wind-hardy with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Grassy St John's Wort
Hypericum gramineum
Delicate native herb with upright stems and bright golden-yellow flowers, typically found in open, disturbed habitats.
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Large-Flowered NZ Iris
Libertia grandiflora
Large-flowered NZ Iris is wind-hardy with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Yellow-Seeded NZ Iris
Libertia ixioides
Yellow-seeded NZ Iris is resilient with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Small-Flowered Libertia
Libertia micrantha
Small-Flowered Libertia is a delicate forest iris with tiny white flowers, thriving in montane forests.
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Swamp Musk
Mazus radicans
Swamp Musk is bird-attracting with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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New Zealand Mint
Mentha cunninghamii
Fragrant endemic herb with a prostrate habit and sweet minty scent, traditionally used by Māori for fragrance and medicine.
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Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not
Myosotidium hortensia
Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not is a spectacular coastal plant featuring giant glossy leaves and vibrant blue flowers.
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Cushion Forget-Me-Not
Myosotis pulvinaris
Delicate subalpine cushion plant with silvery-grey hairy leaves and small white flowers, adapted to harsh mountain environments.
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Large-Leaved Ourisia
Ourisia macrophylla
Large-leaved Ourisia is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Campbell Island Daisy
Pleurophyllum speciosum
Spectacular subantarctic megaherb with large ribbed leaves and vibrant purple-centered flowers, endemic to the Auckland and Campbell Islands.
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Mount Cook Lily
Ranunculus lyallii
Mount Cook Lily is wind-hardy with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Large Mountain Daisy
Raoulia eximia
Large Mountain Daisy is bird-attracting with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Cushion Plant
Scleranthus uniflorus
Cushion Plant is resilient with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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West Coast Kōwhai
Sophora fulvida
West Coast Kōwhai is bird-attracting with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Prostrate Kōwhai
Sophora prostrata
Prostrate Kōwhai is wind-hardy with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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North Island Kōwhai
Sophora tetraptera
North Island Kōwhai is fast-growing with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Long-Keel Kōwhai
Sophora longicarinata
A graceful limestone-loving kōwhai from the northern South Island, distinguished by its exceptionally long-keeled yellow flowers and fine, feathery foliage.
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Snow Hebe
Veronica albicans
A compact and hardy alpine hebe with striking bluish-green foliage and clusters of white flowers, ideal for rock gardens and exposed sites.
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Bentham's Hebe
Veronica benthamii
A stunning blue-flowered hebe endemic to New Zealand's subantarctic islands, featuring distinctive white-edged leaves and vibrant terminal flower spikes.
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Cypress Hebe
Veronica cupressoides
A rare and highly distinctive native shrub with whipcord branches that mimic a cypress tree, emitting a delightful turpentine scent and producing delicate pale flowers.
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Coastal Hebe
Veronica elliptica
A robust and highly salt-tolerant coastal shrub with glossy rounded leaves and large, fragrant white to mauve flower spikes, thriving on windswept clifftops.
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Fairy Foxglove
Veronica hulkeana
A stunning small shrub known as the New Zealand lilac, producing spectacular, large panicles of pale mauve flowers that drape elegantly over rocky outcrops.
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Box-leaf Hebe
Veronica odora
A compact, hardy native shrub with small glossy leaves and short spikes of white flowers, versatile enough for both subalpine and coastal gardens.
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Disc Hebe
Veronica pinguifolia
A compact and very hardy alpine shrub with distinctive thick, blue-green scoop-shaped leaves and profuse clusters of white flowers in summer.
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Willow-Leaved Hebe
Veronica salicifolia (synonym)
Willow-Leaf Hebe is a fast-growing evergreen shrub with willow-like leaves and fragrant drooping flower spikes, a quintessential part of the New Zealand bush.
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Napuka
Veronica speciosa
A showy and resilient coastal shrub with glossy leathery leaves and striking magenta flower spikes, historically valued in Māori rituals and widely admired in gardens.
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Upright Koromiko
Veronica stricta
Upright Koromiko is an important Rongoā plant and hardy pioneer shrub with long pale green leaves and dense white flower spikes, thriving in open habitats.
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Whipcord Hebe
Veronica tetragona
A unique North Island alpine shrub with four-sided branches and scale-like leaves that mimic a conifer, perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions of mountain fellfields.
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Sky-Blue Sun Orchid
Thelymitra cyanea
Vibrant terrestrial orchid with bright blue, often striped, flowers from damp boggy habitats.
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White Sun Orchid
Thelymitra longifolia
Adaptable terrestrial orchid with white to pale pink flowers that open in sunlight; found in diverse habitats.
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Slender Sun Orchid
Thelymitra pauciflora
Widespread terrestrial orchid with blue, mauve or magenta flowers that open in sunlight.
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Striped Sun Orchid
Thelymitra pulchella
Striking terrestrial orchid with blue, pink or white flowers with dark blue stripes.
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Forest Violet
Viola filicaulis
Delicate creeping herb with white or cream flowers, naturally occurring in shaded, moist forest environments.
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Lyall's Native Violet
Viola lyallii
Charming native violet with delicate purple-veined white flowers, found in damp, open habitats.
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Coastal Harebell
Wahlenbergia gracilis
Widespread and hardy native "bluebell" with slender stems and delicate bell-shaped flowers.
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Winika
Dendrobium cunninghamii
Spectacular epiphytic orchid with bamboo-like stems and fragrant white and pink flowers, a summer forest highlight.
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New Zealand Harebell
Wahlenbergia violacea
New Zealand Harebell ( Wahlenbergia violacea ) is a slender perennial herb with bright blue-violet flowers, found in scrubland and disturbed areas.
Learn moreGrowing Native Flowers in Your Garden
Tips for Success with Native Flowers
Native flowering plants can add colour and interest to your garden while providing food for native birds and insects. Most prefer well-draining soil and a sunny position, though some forest species will appreciate partial shade. Consider the natural habitat of each species when planning your garden.