Kōwaowao, Microsorium pustulatum spreads over the ground using creeping horizontal stems (rhizomes) from which erect fronds grow out and extend upwards.
The glossy, lime green, leathery fronds will often be on tree trunks when the rhizomes have extended their growth upwards from the ground to form an epiphyte on the tree.
At maturity, the undersides of fronds bear ‘brown spots’ on either side of the black mid-rib. These are the sori that bear sporangia that produce thousands of spores for reproduction.
Māori found young leaves very palatable either raw, boiled or cooked in a hangi, with the taste being described as ‘like a green bean’.
Article Source: Gil Roper Redwood Bush Tawa Book 2022 – content kindly supplied by Helen Roper
Kōwaowao, Hound’s tongue as seen at the top of the Forest of Tawa / Te Ngahere-o-Tawa
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