Common Name: Pingao

General Information

Ficinia spiralis is a stout, clump-forming herbaceous perennial plant spreading by thick underground rhizomes and creeping surface stems to form large colonies; it can grow 50 - 90cm tall.
The plant was traditionally used as a food and source of materials by the Maori and early European settlers, but it has become much rarer due to human activity and in many of the areas where it grows it may not be wise to harvest at present (2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

New Zealand - North, South and Chatham Islands.

Habitat

Coastal sand dune systems, favouring sloping and more or less unstable surfaces, growing mostly on the front face of active dunes and other areas where there is wind-blown sand.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.70 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained, light or sandy soil.

Edible Uses

Young shoots[]. Sweet and palatable[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Ficinia spiralis is native to the sand dunes along the coast of New Zealand. It has an extensive root system that makes it very useful for binding sand[].

Other Uses

The dried leaves are bright yellow and are used in in weaving for making patterned baskets, raincoats etc[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown fresh when it will usually germinate freely. Sow in trays, only just cover the seed, and place in a sunny position. Plants resent root disturbance and so, as soon as they are large enough to handle, seedlings should be potted up and grown on in individual pots until large enough to be planted out.