| Pseudowintera | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pseudowintera colorata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Canellales |
| Family: | Winteraceae |
| Genus: | Pseudowintera Dandy |
| Species | |
Pseudowintera is a genus of woody evergreen flowering trees and shrubs, part of family Winteraceae. The species of Pseudowintera are native to New Zealand. Winteraceae are magnoliids, associated with the humid Antarctic flora of the southern hemisphere. Horopito can be chewed for a hot, peppery taste.[2]
- Pseudowintera axillaris, is known as the lowland horopito. It is a shrub or small tree growing up to eight metres tall in lowland and lower montane forests from 35° to 42° South. In the South Island it grows West of the Main Divide.
- Pseudowintera colorata, or mountain horopito, is an evergreen shrub or small tree (1–2.5 m) commonly called pepperwood because its leaves have a very hot bite. Its yellow and green leaves are blotched with red; new leaves in the spring are bright red. It is widespread throughout New Zealand, from lowland forests to higher montane forests, and from 36° 30' South as far southwards as Stewart Island/Rakiura. Because of its various uses, both medicinal and culinary, the name horopito when used in common speech normally refers to the colorata species.
- Pseudowintera traversii, or Travers horopito,[3] is a compact shrub up to one metre tall. It grows naturally only in the northwest corner of the South Island, from Collingwood to Westport.
- ^ Heenan, P. B.; de Lange, P. J. (2006). "Pseudowintera insperata (Winteraceae), an overlooked and rare new species from northern New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 44 (1): 89–98. Bibcode:2006NZJB...44...89H. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2006.9513008. ISSN 1175-8643. S2CID 84044658.
- ^ "The Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Pepper trees: horopito and kawakawa".
- ^ Gemmill, Chrissen; Clarkson, Bruce; Green, Allan; Beard, Catherine; Burns, Bruce; Holzapfel, Avi; Hicks, Brendan (1 March 2006). "Winteraceae". BIOL226C Flora of New Zealand. Hamilton, New Zealand: University of Waikato. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
Pseudowintera traversii (Travers horopito) Compactly branched shrub up to 2m tall. Leaves are 2-2.5cm long, ovate-oblong, very thick and coriaceous, dull green above, bluish-green below. Flowers solitary or in pairs. Found only in N.W. Nelson growing on montane forest margins and scrub. Foliage of Pseudowintera traversii, note that the leaves are small and the branching is quite dense