A fast-growing and highly versatile New Zealand native tree, Five Finger is valued for its lush tropical-looking foliage, rapid establishment, and excellent wildlife value. It is widely used in revegetation projects, shelter planting, and home gardens where quick structure and bird attraction are desired.
🌱 Plant Description
Growth habit: Well-branched, rounded small tree
Foliage: Glossy dark green leaves made up of 5–7 leaflets radiating from a central stem
Leaflets: Largest leaflets up to 20 cm long, paler beneath
Flowers: Small clusters of reddish-pink to white flowers
Fruit: Small purplish berries highly attractive to birds
Height: Up to 6 m
Flowering: June – August
Fruiting: August – February
🌍 Natural Habitat
Common in lowland and coastal forest throughout much of New Zealand
Often found in regenerating forest and forest margins
🌿 Growing Environment
Frost tolerant
Shade tolerant
Wind tolerant
Best planted in free-draining soils with good airflow, particularly in humid regions where poorly drained conditions can encourage root rot.
📍 Endemic Distribution
Widespread throughout the North and South Islands
Rare in Central Otago
🌾 Ideal Uses
Bird food and attractant
Bee food
Forest and revegetation planting
Riparian planting
Shelter belts and screening
Fast-growing feature tree
🪴 Cultivation Notes
A very adaptable and rewarding tree that establishes quickly and responds well to pruning, allowing it to be maintained as a bushy shrub or small tree. Particularly useful as a nurse species in restoration planting, where its rapid growth provides shelter for slower-growing natives.
⚠️ In humid climates, avoid poorly drained or stagnant sites to reduce the risk of root rot.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
• PB3 (20cm – 70cm, 1.5L)
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
📦 Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage
A fast-growing and highly versatile New Zealand native tree, Five Finger is valued for its lush tropical-looking foliage, rapid establishment, and excellent wildlife value. It is widely used in revegetation projects, shelter planting, and home gardens where quick structure and bird attraction are desired.
🌱 Plant Description
Growth habit: Well-branched, rounded small tree
Foliage: Glossy dark green leaves made up of 5–7 leaflets radiating from a central stem
Leaflets: Largest leaflets up to 20 cm long, paler beneath
Flowers: Small clusters of reddish-pink to white flowers
Fruit: Small purplish berries highly attractive to birds
Height: Up to 6 m
Flowering: June – August
Fruiting: August – February
🌍 Natural Habitat
Common in lowland and coastal forest throughout much of New Zealand
Often found in regenerating forest and forest margins
🌿 Growing Environment
Frost tolerant
Shade tolerant
Wind tolerant
Best planted in free-draining soils with good airflow, particularly in humid regions where poorly drained conditions can encourage root rot.
📍 Endemic Distribution
Widespread throughout the North and South Islands
Rare in Central Otago
🌾 Ideal Uses
Bird food and attractant
Bee food
Forest and revegetation planting
Riparian planting
Shelter belts and screening
Fast-growing feature tree
🪴 Cultivation Notes
A very adaptable and rewarding tree that establishes quickly and responds well to pruning, allowing it to be maintained as a bushy shrub or small tree. Particularly useful as a nurse species in restoration planting, where its rapid growth provides shelter for slower-growing natives.
⚠️ In humid climates, avoid poorly drained or stagnant sites to reduce the risk of root rot.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
• PB3 (20cm – 70cm, 1.5L)
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
📦 Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage
