Kiekie
Freycinetia banksii
A climbing cousin of pandanus; its fleshy flower bracts (tāwhara) and later fruit were prized sweet foods.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: part shade
Size: about 30 ft tall, 6 ft wide
Harvest: September to May
From: Aotearoa New Zealand
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, wildlife.
Native to: Aotearoa New Zealand. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
Kiekie scrambles up forest trunks across Aotearoa. Its sweet white flower bracts, tāwhara, were counted among the finest wild foods, and its long leaves are still a prized weaving fibre for mats and fine baskets.
Planting
Shade or part shade, warm humid air and moist soil, with a tree or post to climb. It is frost-tender.
Growing
Slow to establish. Keep the roots mulched and damp, and tie in the first stems.
Harvest and use
The fleshy bracts ripen in spring and the sausage-shaped fruit in autumn or winter. Both are eaten fresh.
What to watch for
Rats and possums take the bracts before people do. It needs male and female plants for fruit.
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home