Pomaderris kumarahou, 100 seeds

Pomaderris kumarahou 100 seeds

 

 

 

Pomaderris kumassrahou is a shrub withcommon names such as gumdigger’s soap, kumarahou and golden tainui. It belongs to the family Rhamnaceae and genus pomaderis. It has been confused with similar but distinctive Tasmanian Pomaderris and ellipta Labill. The word kumarahou is a Maori word which means a shrub. It grows well in the coastal areas and is often found growing on the roadsides, guland vegetation and banks. It is native to the northern island of New Zealand.

P. kumeraho grows as a shrub reaching up to 4m high. The plant has fuzzy twigs with wrangled blunt-tipped leaves. The leaves measure 6cm by 3cm. The leaves have brownish star-shaped hairs underneath. It flowers from September to October and produces fruits from November to December. It produces yellow flowers which grow in round clusters. It produces fruits that are very small and dry. They can be propagated through seeds, but they are very slow to germinate. When crushed and stirred in water, it produces lather and that why it is called gumdigger’s soap.

It grows well in soils with poor nutrients and in full sun. It is prone to verticillium wilt and phytophora wilt. Slow germination is due to seed dormancy that can be broken using various dormancy-breaking mechanisms. Breaking seed dormancy using boiling water and sulphuric acid has been found to be the most effective ways. Pomaderris kumeraho does cross-pollination, which is often carried out by the bees. 

P. kumeraho is used to make natural soap. This plant is considered good for the people who find most soap too harsh because this one, unlike most other soaps, does not remove the natural oils from the skin. The oil from Manuka kills bacteria and has saponin that removes dirt. It is a rare and endangered plant and therefore needs to be conserved. It is used as a medicinal plant in some regions. For example, it was traditionally used for treating different ailments by the Maori people and is believed to be a blood cleansing plant. Most of its benefits have not been confirmed scientifically and therefore, one needs more information before using the plant for medicinal purposes. In some places, it is used in treating rushes on the skin. The plant is good for biodiversity in areas where it is native. It also does well in poor soils and can be used to combat soil erosion.