Leucopogon fasciculatus < Species index > Libocedrus plumosa
This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 94, # 5, June 2022
June in the hills with Michele Dickson, Chris Horne
Libertia ixioides, mīkoikoi, mānga-a-Huripapa, tūkāuki tūrutu, New Zealand iris
Photo: Jeremy Rolfe
Origin of the botanical names
Libertia commemorates the Belgian Marie-Anne Libert (1782-1865) who studied the lower cryptogramic plants - plants lacking stamens and pistils; ixioides means like Ixia, from the Greek word 'íxos' for mistletoe or birdlime made from the sticky sap of the berries. The Libertia genus belongs to the iris family - Iridaceae - of which there are eight members in Aotearoa.
Distribution and habitat
New Zealand iris / mīkoikoi is indigenous to Aotearoa. It grows on stream-edges, banks and rocks up to 700m altitude on Te Ika-a-Maui / North Island, Te Waipounamu / South Island and Rakiura / Stewart Island.
Growth habit
New Zealand iris / mīkoikoi has stiff, smooth leaves in a close fan-like bunch growing from a short, erect rhizome / underground stem. The leaves are sword-shaped, between 15 and 80 cm long and 5 - 15 mm wide. The veins are parallel. The two surfaces of a leaf are similar. The leaves may turn yellow or orange where they are exposed to full sunlight.
Reproduction
The white flowers with three petals appear in spring. The fruits are barrel-shaped or rounded capsules. They appear throughout the following year and contain many seeds. They are first green, then ripen to tan or yellow when fully grown and up to 1.5 cm in diameter. When ripe, the capsules partially split by segments to release the 2 X 1.5 mm rounded yellow seeds.
Uses
New Zealand iris / mīkoikoi is a popular garden plant with its white flowers and yellow fruit. Its leaves have been used for making paper.
Where can you find New Zealand iris / mīkoikoi?
Look for it in Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, other Wellington bush reserves, regional parks and in the Remutaka, Akatarawa, Aorangi and Tararua ranges.
Note
The other plant also called tūrutu is Dianella nigra. The berries may be poisonous so it is wise to know how to identify the two species. Dianella nigra was described in The Tararua Tramper, Volume 90, No.6, July 2018.
In The Hills 2024-05 < Index chronological > In The Hills 2024-07