Bush lawyer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bush lawyer
Scientific classification
Genus:	Rubus
Species:	cissoides

Rubus cissoides, commonly called bush lawyer or tātarāmoa, taraheke, taramoa, tātaraheke in Māori, is a climbing plant found only in New Zealand. It's a type of vine that scrambles over other plants.

Its leaves are usually 6 to 15 centimetres long. They grow in groups of three to five leaflets. This plant grows in forests at different heights. It has white flowers that turn into red berries.

About the Bush Lawyer

The bush lawyer, Rubus cissoides, is related to blackberries and raspberries. It shares some features with them. This plant is a woody vine that climbs. It has a somewhat weak stem. Because of this, it needs other shrubs for support.

The bush lawyer is a dicotyledon. This means its leaves have veins that branch out like a network. The leaves are smooth and have no hairs. Their edges are serrated, like a saw. The leaves are long and narrow. They usually grow in groups of five small leaflets.

A special feature of the bush lawyer is its reddish hooks. These hooks are found on the underside of its branches. They help the plant grip onto things. This allows it to climb up to four metres high.

The bush lawyer has white flowers. It also produces berries that are yellow to red.

Where Bush Lawyer Lives

Found Only in New Zealand

Rubus cissoides is a plant native to New Zealand. This means it grew there naturally. It is also an endemic species. This means it is found only in New Zealand and nowhere else in the world.

Bush Lawyer in New Zealand

R. cissoides grows across most of New Zealand. You can find it from the North Island down to Stewart Island. However, it doesn't grow everywhere. It thrives best in lowland and mountainous forests. These are the only places where it finds the right conditions to grow well.

Where Bush Lawyer Likes to Grow

R. cissoides prefers forests that are not too high up or are in the mountains. But these areas must have good sunlight. R. cissoides cannot grow well in deep shade. This is why it has become a good climber. It climbs high to get as much sunlight as possible. This helps it compete with other plants in the forest. This plant also likes moist soils. It does not grow as well in dry places.

How Bush Lawyer Grows (Life Cycle)

R. cissoides flowers between August and December. The flowers are white. They are deciduous, meaning they fall off in winter. You won't see flowers during the colder months. Each plant has either male or female flowers, but not both. Insects like bees help to pollinate these flowers.

After pollination, the plant grows orange-red berries. These berries appear from November to April. During this time, the berries drop their seeds. Animals like possums eat the berries. This helps spread the seeds throughout the forest. New plants usually start to grow in spring. This is when the weather is warmer, helping them to establish.

Young bush lawyer plants look different from older ones. Mature plants have leaves made of several leaflets. But young plants have simple, single leaves.

At first, the stem of a young plant is thick and strong. This helps it find other plants to climb. Young plants can stand on their own up to about 60 centimetres tall. After that, they need support. If a young plant can't find something to climb, it will spread across the forest floor. It will keep growing until it finds a suitable shrub. The hooks on its leaves and branches help it climb easily. This lets it reach the forest canopy where it can get sunlight.

R. cissoides grows very quickly. Once it starts climbing and reaches a good height, it becomes mature. Then it will begin to produce flowers from August to December.

What Bush Lawyer Needs to Grow

R. cissoides can grow in many different soil types in New Zealand. But some soils are better for it.

It prefers soils with a moderate to low amount of sand. Sand has large particles. Water drains quickly through these large spaces. If soil has too much sand, it can become dry.

R. cissoides likes moist places. So, sandy soils are not ideal. Soils with a good amount of clay are better for the bush lawyer. Clay particles are very small. They can hold a lot of water. This gives the bush lawyer the moist soil it prefers.

R. cissoides is very flexible about soil pH. It can grow in acidic, neutral, and basic soils. However, very acidic or very basic soils might not be good for its growth.

R. cissoides cannot live in shady areas. You will often find it in sunny parts of the forest. This is also why it climbs high into the tree canopy.

Like all plants, R. cissoides needs important nutrients. Plants need many nutrients to grow well. The three most important are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). Nitrogen is very important for plant growth. It is needed for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food and energy. R. cissoides needs a wide range of nutrients in the soil to stay healthy, especially NPK.

Who Eats Bush Lawyer and Its Problems

The hooks on R. cissoides are mainly for climbing. But they also help protect the plant from animals eating it. New Zealand doesn't have many large plant-eating mammals. This might be why the bush lawyer isn't eaten much.

The hooks on the leaves and branches are important for protection. For example, the berries on the plant are safe to eat and taste good. Birds might want to eat them. But the hooks make it hard for birds to land on the plant. This helps reduce how many berries are eaten.

R. cissoides still faces some animals that eat it in the New Zealand bush. These include deer and possums. Possums have been seen eating the berries and flowers. Both deer and possums eat small amounts of the plant's leaves. They also eat fallen leaves from the ground.

There is a disease that affects R. cissoides. It's not a huge problem in the wild. This disease is a fungus called Phragmidium violaceum. It is more commonly known as blackberry rust. This fungus looks like black patches on the leaves. Its spores start to grow in spring. The wind then spreads them. Blackberry rust can cause R. cissoides to produce fewer berries.

Māori Uses of Bush Lawyer

R. cissoides has many cultural uses. Many of these were created by Māori people.

The berries of the plant can be eaten, but they are said to have little taste. The sap from inside the stems can be taken out. It is used in cooking. It can be eaten plain or cooked.

The berries can be crushed to make a dye. This dye is blue or purple.

Māori often used parts of R. cissoides for medicine. The bark from the stem was used to help with stomach pains. The bark from the roots was used to stop diarrhea. To help with chest colds and congestion, Māori used small amounts of crushed leaves.

Besides medicine, Māori also used parts of R. cissoides for other things. In the 1800s, it was recorded that local Māori caught fish. They used nets made from the vines of R. cissoides.