Parsonsia capsularis. Kaiwhiria. New Zealand jasmine.
Māori names
akakaikiore, akakiore, kaiwhiria, kaikū, kaikūkū, tōtoroene, tōtorowene (all in Williams 1971).
Common names
Fishing and hunting
Some natives talk of bows and arrows. The bow (whana) made of pirita (supplejack), arrows of fernstalk or a shoot (pihi) of the kaiwhiria with a point of kātote lashed on. Used by children to kill birds in olden days. Best says sources are unreliable (Best 1902, p.241)
Construction
Vines sometimes used for tying up fences, platforms and house framing, but not commonly (Colenso 1868a)
Medicinal
Used in vapour baths (Brett's Guide 1883)
Chemistry
Parsonsia species probably contain saponins - worthy of investigation (Aston 1923b)
Metadata
01499d51-a6b4-404b-8ee3-2b2fe1af276a
name
28 May 2007
1 July 2020