Elatostema rugosum, commonly known as parataniwha or New Zealand begonia is a herbaceous ground cover plant that is endemic to New Zealand.

Elatostema rugosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Urticaceae
Genus:	Elatostema
Species:	E. rugosum
Binomial name
Elatostema rugosum A.Cunn.

Elatostema rugosum grows up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high in wet, shaded places such as gullies and streamsides. It has long green-purple leaves with prominent veins and a saw-like edge.[1]

The common name parataniwha, roughly translates to "home of the taniwha" and suggests the presence of a taniwha, a powerful supernatural being in Māori mythology. [2]

References