Promising Plants Profiles

Pseudowintera colorata

Genus: Pseudowintera
Specific Epithet: colorata
Common Names: horopito, New Zealand pepper tree
Family: Winteraceae

Flower Color: yellowish-cream
Form: evergreen shrub or tree
Hardiness Zone: 8-9
Soil: neutral to acid, moist but well-drained soil
Sun: partial shade

Uses: ornamental, medicinal
Parts Used: leaves

"This evergreen shrub or small tree belongs to the Winteraceae family and is closely related to two other important Australasian herbs, Drimys winteri (Winter's bark) and Tasmannia lanceolata (mountain pepper). They all contain an extremely pungent substance called polygodial, which is hotter than true pepper and chillies and unique to the family.

Horopito is native to New Zealand, where it grows from sea level to 4000 feet. It can reach 25-30 feet and looks like some fancy garden hybrid or variegated form but in fact is naturally rainbow-colored. The leathery, elliptic leaves are about 2 inches long and are old gold, mottled red, on top, with purple-red margins and pearly pinkish undersides. As if this wasn't enough, the new shoots have red stems. Small yellowish-cream flowers are followed by black berries.

This ornamental shrub is ideal for containers and raised beds as it is slow growing, putting on only an inch or 2 of growth a year. It is frost hardy – hardy in Zone 9 or 8 with some shelter from hard frosts – but tough in its own way, taking wet and windy conditions in its stride. Ideal conditions are part-shade and neutral to acid, moist but well-drained soil. It copes with low fertility but dislikes lime. Propagation is by semi-hard cuttings in summer or by seed, which needs stratifying for 2 months, then soaking for 12 hours before sowing at 55-65°F.

Horopito is the Maori name and this is the name now used in the herb trade. Traditional Maori uses were for fungal skin infections, venereal disease, gastric infections, and as a topical painkiller. The first mentioned – for fungal skin infections – is the use that has been researched and commercialized; horopito is now acknowledged to be one of the best antifungal remedies in the herbal pharmacopoeia." – Deni Bown, Promising Plants Presentation, 2005

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