Native Shrubs of New Zealand | NZ Native Plants

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Introduction

Overview

New Zealand native shrubs are a diverse group of plants that fill important roles in forests, shrublands, and gardens. They provide food and shelter for birds and insects, stabilize soils, and add structure to natural and designed landscapes. Notable species include Coprosma repens (Taupata), Griselinia littoralis (Broadleaf), and Olearia paniculata (Akiraho). Many native shrubs are valued for their resilience, attractive foliage, and ability to thrive in a range of conditions, making them popular choices for restoration and landscaping projects. Species like Lacebark with its distinctive textured bark and narrow leaves, and Muskwood with its aromatic silvery-grey foliage, add unique architectural elements to gardens. Alpine species like Bush Snowberry , Leatherwood , and Leafy Tree Daisy are particularly hardy, thriving in challenging mountain environments with their distinctive foliage shapes and reliable flowering.

Heart-leaved Kōhūhū (Pittosporum obcordatum)

Heart-leaved Kōhūhū

Pittosporum obcordatum

A rare and elegant columnar shrub with tiny heart-shaped leaves and a distinctive divaricating growth habit, specialized for fertile lowland river flats.

Red-Flowered Pittosporum (Pittosporum patulum)

Red-Flowered Pittosporum

Pittosporum patulum

A rare and threatened South Island shrub or small tree with a distinctive upright form and sweetly scented flowers, naturally at home in montane forest margins.

Shore Puka

Shore Puka

Raukaua anomalus

Shore Puka is a hardy divaricating shrub with interlaced branches; excellent for coastal and exposed sites.

Dwarf Mingimingi

Dwarf Mingimingi

Styphelia nesophila

Resilient, prickly native shrub with attractive yellow fruits, ideal for rock gardens and exposed coastal sites.

White Mistletoe (Tupeia antarctica)

White Mistletoe

Tupeia antarctica

A rare and fascinating semi-parasitic shrub with pale grey bark and bright green leaves, producing small white to pinkish berries beloved by native birds.

Tree Nettle - Ongaonga

Tree Nettle - Ongaonga

Urtica ferox

Fiercely spiny native nettle; important habitat plant-avoid contact with hairs.

Snow Hebe (Veronica albicans)

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.

Bentham's Hebe (Veronica benthamii)

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.

Waitākere Rock Koromiko

Waitākere Rock Koromiko

Veronica bishopiana

Rare willowy shrub with purplish stems and elegant mauve flower spikes, endemic to the Waitākere Ranges.

Waterfall Parahebe

Waterfall Parahebe

Veronica catarractae

Charming mat-forming native shrub known for its masses of white flowers and love for cool, moist rocky sites.

Cypress Hebe (Veronica cupressoides)

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.

Coastal Hebe (Veronica elliptica)

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.

Fairy Foxglove (Veronica hulkeana)

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.

Haast's Hebe

Haast's Hebe

Veronica haastii

Specialist alpine subshrub with thick fleshy leaves and white flowers, adapted to the high South Island scree.

Banks Peninsula Sun Hebe

Banks Peninsula Sun Hebe

Veronica lavaudiana

Rare and beautiful native subshrub with pink buds, white flowers, and red-edged leaves, endemic to Banks Peninsula.

North Cape Hebe

North Cape Hebe

Veronica punicea

North Cape Hebe ( Veronica punicea ) is a rare ultramafic endemic shrub with magenta flowers, found only at Surville Cliffs.

Lyall's Parahebe

Lyall's Parahebe

Veronica lyallii

Charming low-growing subshrub with delicate white to pink flowers, naturally found in stony mountain habitats.

Box-leaf Hebe (Veronica odora)

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.

Disc Hebe (Veronica pinguifolia)

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.

Willow-Leaf Hebe (Veronica salicifolia)

Willow-Leaf 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.

Napuka (Veronica speciosa)

Napuka

Veronica speciosa

Showy and resilient coastal shrub with glossy leathery leaves and striking magenta flower spikes, historically valued in Māori rituals and widely admired in gardens.

Koromiko (Veronica stricta)

Koromiko

Veronica stricta

Important Rongoā plant and hardy pioneer shrub featuring long pale green leaves and dense spikes of white flowers, thriving in open and disturbed habitats.

Whipcord Hebe (Veronica tetragona)

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.

Topiary Hebe

Topiary Hebe

Veronica topiaria

Naturally globular native shrub with attractive blue-grey foliage and white flowers, perfect for structural garden use.

Small Toropapa (Alseuosmia pusilla)

Small Toropapa

Alseuosmia pusilla

Alseuosmia pusilla, or Small Toropapa, is a compact evergreen shrub that has evolved to mimic the unpalatable Horopito to avoid being eaten by herbivores.

Mountain Wineberry (Aristotelia fruticosa)

Mountain Wineberry

Aristotelia fruticosa

Hardy divaricating shrub endemic to New Zealand, valued for its colourful berries and its role in providing habitat for native birds.

Kahakaha (Astelia hastata)

Kahakaha

Astelia hastata

Giant epiphytic perching lily that forms massive nest-like clumps in the forest canopy, serving as a vital natural water tank.

Daisy Bush (Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia)

Daisy Bush

Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia

Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia is a tough shrub daisy featuring leathery, elaeagnus-like leaves and yellow flowers, often found in subalpine and montane areas.

Hector's Tree Daisy (Brachyglottis hectorii)

Hector's Tree Daisy

Brachyglottis hectorii

Brachyglottis hectorii, or Hector's Tree Daisy, is a large South Island shrub featuring stout woolly branches and spectacular clusters of white daisy flowers in summer.

Rautini (Brachyglottis huntii)

Rautini

Brachyglottis huntii

Brachyglottis huntii, known as Rautini or Chatham Island Christmas Tree, is an endemic shrub daisy with leathery leaves and bright yellow daisy-like flower heads.

New Zealand Daisy Bush (Brachyglottis laxifolia)

New Zealand Daisy Bush

Brachyglottis laxifolia

Endemic South Island shrub with grey-green foliage and clusters of bright yellow daisy-like flowers.

Monro's Daisy (Brachyglottis monroi)

Monro's Daisy

Brachyglottis monroi

Brachyglottis monroi, or Monro's Daisy, is a compact South Island shrub known for its attractive wavy grey-green leaves and bright yellow daisy flowers, ideal for rock gardens.

Stewart Island Daisy (Brachyglottis stewartiae)

Stewart Island Daisy

Brachyglottis stewartiae

Robust coastal shrub daisy with leathery leaves and large yellow daisy heads, endemic to Stewart Island.

Prostrate Broom (Carmichaelia appressa)

Prostrate Broom

Carmichaelia appressa

Carmichaelia appressa is a rare prostrate native broom endemic to Kaitorete Spit, forming dense mats of interlaced branches that hug the ground in sandy coastal environments.

Corrugated Broom (Carmichaelia corrugata)

Corrugated Broom

Carmichaelia corrugata

Unique dwarf native broom that forms low, dense mats of spreading, flattened stems, adapted to dry and rocky environments.

Pink Broom (Carmichaelia glabrescens)

Pink Broom

Carmichaelia glabrescens

Carmichaelia glabrescens, or Pink Broom, is a spectacular weeping native broom from the South Island, renowned for its profusion of scented pink pea-like flowers in mid-summer.

Kirk's Broom (Carmichaelia kirkii)

Kirk's Broom

Carmichaelia kirkii

Rare native broom with slender, leafless stems, endemic to the South Island and found in open rocky or shrubby habitats.

Desert Broom (Carmichaelia petriei)

Desert Broom

Carmichaelia petriei

Hardy, leafless native shrub with stiff, flattened green stems, adapted to the arid and stony soils of the South Island.

Shining Karamū (Coprosma lucida)

Shining Karamū

Coprosma lucida

Glossy-leaved native shrub found in coastal and lowland forests, producing large orange berries for native birds.

Twiggy Coprosma (Coprosma rhamnoides)

Twiggy Coprosma

Coprosma rhamnoides

Common divaricating shrub with reddish-brown branches and tiny leaves, producing small berries varying from red to dark purple.

Korokio (Corokia buddleioides)

Korokio

Corokia buddleioides

Northern coastal shrub with wiry branches and yellow starry flowers followed by dark berries.

Wire-Netting Bush (Corokia cotoneaster)

Wire-Netting Bush

Corokia cotoneaster

Corokia cotoneaster, or Wire-Netting Bush, is a unique divaricating shrub with interlaced branches and small yellow flowers, ideal for hedging and coastal gardens.

Chatham Islands Corokia (Corokia macrocarpa)

Chatham Islands Corokia

Corokia macrocarpa

Corokia macrocarpa, known as the Chatham Islands Corokia, is an endemic shrub featuring silvery-grey foliage and bright yellow flowers followed by orange berries.

Cockayne's Grass Tree (Dracophyllum cockayneanum)

Cockayne's Grass Tree

Dracophyllum cockayneanum

Hardy subalpine shrub with distinctive needle-like leaves and attractive spikes of small white flowers.

Oliver's Grass Tree (Dracophyllum oliveri)

Oliver's Grass Tree

Dracophyllum oliveri

Alpine shrub with tough, needle-like foliage and small white flowers, found in subalpine and alpine regions.

Asbestos Inaka (Dracophyllum ophioliticum)

Asbestos Inaka

Dracophyllum ophioliticum

Specialized shrub found only on ultramafic soils in the South Island, featuring slender branches and tough, narrow leaves.

Totorowhiti (Dracophyllum strictum)

Totorowhiti

Dracophyllum strictum

Dracophyllum strictum, or Totorowhiti, is a low-growing, spreading shrub with broad, stiff leaves and elegant clusters of white tubular flowers, endemic to the North Island.

Lindsay's Dwarf Mistletoe (Korthalsella lindsayi)

Lindsay's Dwarf Mistletoe

Korthalsella lindsayi

Small, succulent parasitic plant with flattened green stems, often found growing on the branches of native shrubs and trees.