Ecosourcing News June 2006

patete / pate / Schefflera digitata

Patete is a shrub or small tree of damp shady places, common along stream and riverbanks, but not in the flood zone. Patete like many plants which produce fruit to induce birds to disperse seeds has a variable fruiting season. Some plants have ripe fruit in March and some have fruit not yet ripe. This has advantages for both the tree and the birds. Patete is an important food source for birds in the Waikato winter.

Wayne

This newsletter has emerged as a response to interest expressed from a number of people about the fruiting times, fruit variety and propagation of the native plants of the Waikato. It has been provided by Ecosourced Waikato out of a concern  that the distinctive character of the Waikato  flora be protected and  appreciated by the wider community