The Earth Laughs In Flowers

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 280, 26 November 1938, Page 3

The Earth Laughs In Flowers

i' out to a farmer; he could see no beauty in it. All he said "Was: That? Its Poroporo—such a weed!" But he hadrit been lying down under a bush of it, smelling the fresh, moist earth and Watching the purple petals shaking against a background of POROPORO blue, blue sky. That makes a difference; but I

expect it is a "Weed, for it grows prolifically in places from the North Island to the south of Stewart Island—sometimes as tall as eight feet. With long, green leaves, it grows in the open or on fringes of bush, for it finds the awe-inspiring forest too dark and quiet to live in. High up on a hill overlooking Piha are several plants of Poroporo, which have white flowers. Although perhaps more unusual, white cannot compare with the striking purple flowers —for colour is too seldom seen in our native blossoms. Later, when the flowers get sleepy and fall off, berries form —yellowishorange, and juicy, about the size of a small bird's egg. When white people first settled in New Zealand they looked round for some suitable food to vary their meagre diet. They found that Poroporo berries could be made into excellent jam. No one seems to use them now—l wonder what they were like? Poroporo was only carrying on the tradition of a useful family, to which our potato and cape gooseberry belong. As well as food there is beauty—lovely petunias and daturas acknowledge Poroporo as a cousin. Of course, there are ' black sheep" in the family—poisonous plants—and there are many of these. .. . Poroporo, however, is a good plant to grow, for it flowers nearly all the year. —B.E.G.M.