Overview
pepper tree
Pseudowintera colorata
Habit: Small tree.
Claims to fame: The peppery leaves are increasingly used as an indigenous flavouring.
Traditional uses: Used to treat skin problems, and various pains including toothache (Brooker et al., 2002, New Zealand Medicinal Plants, Reed).
Distribution/ecology: Throughout New Zealand, except for the far north. Generally inhabits colder and wetter upland forest and scrub.
Relationships: Belongs to the Winteraceae family, an old lineage of the flowering plants that today occurs mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
Identification: The red-blistering and white undersides of the leaves are distinctive, as is the peppery taste. Pseudowintera axillaris is similar but the upperside of the leaves are uniformly green without blistering.
Bush City locations: Near the Fossil Dig (between 9 & 10). Only one small plant present in Bush City.