Makomako (wineberry)

Aristotelia serrata

Rosy flowers, then dark berries eaten fresh or pressed into a sweet drink; first up after a slip or a fire.

Type: small tree · berries and small fruit
Hardiness: zones 8 to 10
Light: part shade
Size: about 25 ft tall, 12 ft wide
Harvest: June to July
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, pollinators.

Native to: Aotearoa New Zealand. Hardy in zones 8 to 10.

The story

Makomako is a pioneer: it springs up after slips, fire and felled trees, grows fast, feeds the birds and makes shade for the trees that follow. Its berries gave Māori a sweet drink and a blue-black dye.

Planting

Sun or part shade and moist soil. Plant male and female for fruit.

Growing

It needs no care. In cold places it drops its leaves in winter.

Harvest and use

Clouds of rose-pink flowers in spring, then small dark red-to-black berries in summer, eaten fresh or squeezed for juice.

What to watch for

It is short-lived and brittle in wind. Birds usually win the race for the berries.

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More berries and small fruit

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