Blechnum discolor. Piupiu. Petipeti. Crown fern.
Previous names
Lomaria discolor (in Best).
Māori names
PIUPIU, PETIPETI (Best 1907), tāniwhaniwha, turukio (Ngāi Tahu). Names in Williams 1971.
Common names
Food
Kiore, native rat, wrapped in leaves of petipeti for cooking in hangi ( Best 1902)
Environment
Common in drier and more open forest. The bent-over fronds have been used as track-markers - their pale undersides are visible even at night. (Crowe 1994)
Traditions
In the south, it is said that the kakapo will bite the fern off at the base and hold the frond over its head to shield itself from observation (Beattie 1920).
Metadata
88835297-8b29-4261-9230-5be2c9b5ef8f
name
28 May 2007
4 July 2020