Muehlenbeckia australis
Muehlenbeckia australis, the large-leaved muehlenbeckia or pohuehue, is a prostrate or climbing plant native to New Zealand. Description. The species grows up to tall with grey bark. The leaves are on stiff petioles and are long. Lamina is by long. It has juvenile and adult leaf forms and loses its leaves in winter. The flowers are greenish and the fruits are juicy with black shiny seeds covered by a white, succulent cup of sepals, which are fed on by various birds and lizards. Flowers bloom from late spring to autumn, with it panicles occur usually in spring  and summer. Fruits are present from November to April, sometimes till June. Taxonomy. The species was first described in 1786 by Georg Forster, as "Coccoloba australis". It was transferred to the genus "Muehlenbeckia" in 1841 by Carl Meissner. Some sources, including Plants of the World Online, regard "Muehlenbeckia adpressa" as a synonym of this species. Others treat them as separate species. Ecology. "M. australis" prefers places with plenty of sunlight and climbing support, such as forest edges, cliff faces, scrub and regenerating vegetation. With its climbing and rapid growth form, it is capable of engulfing roadside trees, and has benefited  from cleared habitats created since human settlement began, and is sometimes the only native species present in such areas. Host plant. "M. australis" is a host plant for numerous New Zealand endemic insects including "Pyrgotis eudorana, Apoctena orthropis, Argosarchus horridus," and "Clitarchus hookeri."