Horopito (Pseudowintera colorata, or pepper tree) grows throughout New Zealand.
Usually a shrub growing to 2m tall, it sometimes grows into a tree 10m in height.
Leaves range in colour from light yellowish-green with a few red speckles to completely blotched with red.
Flowers, which can be seen at the moment if you look closely, are star-shaped and yellow-green.
They will be followed by plump blackish berries.
The leaves and bark of horopito were used by early Maori to treat a wide range of ailments, from skin complaints to fungal infections.
In recent years, scientists have found compounds in the plant that confirm antiseptic, antifungal and antibacterial properties.
It is used in some modern healthcare products and as a culinary spice.
Horopito is a wonderful garden plant.
It grows very slowly into a neat bush that will rarely need pruning.
It can tolerate wind and frost, and most soils that are not too dry or wet.
Brighten up a slightly shady corner of your garden, or grow it out in the open, where leaf colour tends to be brighter.
You could even grow some in a pot, and try using the leaves instead of black pepper in cooking.
The decorative foliage lasts for weeks in a vase.
• Kate Caldwell is curator of the native plant collection at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
