Muehlenbeckia australis

Muehlenbeckia australis, commonly known as the large-leaved muehlenbeckia or pōhuehue, is a species of climbing plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Norfolk Island and New Zealand, where its range extends across the mainland, Stewart Island, and the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands. A fast-spreading and sometimes aggressive species, it is widely considered a pest plant, smothering vegetation and forming tangles of thickets. The plant was first described in 1786 by the German botanist Georg Forster. M. australis's small flowers are pollinated by insects. The seeds are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores), such as birds and lizards. The plant provides host to many types of insects, such as moths, beetles, aphids, and gall mites. M. australis is semideciduous or deciduous, meaning the plant loses its leaves at the end of winter, either partially or entirely. The indigenous Māori people ate the berries from the plant, and the stems were used to make fish traps. M. a......read more on Wikipedia.