Give your peepers a break, go on, and let them rest on one of the world’s more rare botanical species, our very own New Zealand native, Elingamita (Elingamita johnsonii). This very pretty shrub or small tree is the only member of its genus, and it is at risk, though not under threat, in the wild. That’s because it is found only on West Island in the Three Kings group fifty-five miles north of Cape Reinga. It has though also managed to establish a hold on two small nearby rock islets in the Princes Group, Hinemoa and Arbutus Rocks. As the only place on the planet where Elingamita is found in the wild, it could easily be lost to random events such as lightning-ignited fire and other forms of damage. The islands are rat-free, but in cultivated gardens rats have displayed a healthy appetite for E. johnsonii fruit.

Elingamita (E. johnsonii) is named after an historical maritime event. In 1902 the 2,585 tonne steamship Elingamite sailed from Sydney with 136 passengers and fifty-nine crew to New Zealand.  Four days later on 9 November she struck West Island in the Three Kings group in dense fog and sank within 20 minutes. Forty-five people drowned. When decorated WW1 hero, major Magnus Earle Johnson retired from the army in 1940, he sailed coastal New Zealand in his small keel yacht, the Rosemary. On one trip in 1950 he collected botanical specimens from just above the cliffs where the Elingamite was sunk. It was the first discovery of the tree, and was named after the ill-fated ship. Johnson went on, with students and botanists as crew, to make at least eight voyages to the Three Kings, and thoroughly explored the natural history of the islands. A seaweed endemic to the Three Kings, Sargassum johnsonii, also bears his name.

• Elingamita grows easily from fresh seed but could take up to a year to germinate 
• Treat for weevils before sowing into trays
• Seedlings will grow quickly and prefer semi-shade, warmth and moisture
• Once the plant has established, it thrives in full sun 
• Elingamita does best in rich, moist, free-draining soils 
• Because it is predominantly dioecious, male and female plants are both required to produce the splendid red fruit 
• Cuttings tend to be slow to strike
• Conventional cleft grafts take quite readily
• Elingamita is sensitive to cold and intolerant of frost

Correction:
Thank you to our reader, Maureen Young, who spotted the error in
our Two Minute Tree Break on the Family Pennantiaceae, in which we wrongly published Dendrobium macropus as the genus for
Pennantia endlicheri. Dendrobium is an orchid genus.