Story: Shrubs and small trees of the forest

Five-finger (Pseudopanax arboreus), or whauwhaupaku, is one of the most common trees in New Zealand. It is fast-growing and often found in regenerating forest. Its leaves consist of five to seven leaflets, arranged like fingers around a central stalk (this is known as a palmate arrangement). The leaflets are toothed and leathery. In winter five-finger produces clusters of purple flowers at the tips of its branches. Purple-black berries ripen in summer.