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Dianella nigra
Also called Blueberry, Inkberry
Dianella nigra is a tussock-forming perennial herb endemic to New Zealand, grown for its violet-blue berries and long arching leaves. It is hardy and adaptable, tolerating a range of coastal to montane conditions.
Dianella nigra, commonly known as turutu, inkberry, and the New Zealand blueberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Its range mainly covers the North and South Islands. It is typically found in coastal to montane environments, and the species can colonise various different habitats. A perennial herb, the species is known for its vibrant violet-blue berries and long green leaves.
Dianella nigra was first described in 1884 by the New Zealand botanist William Colenso. D. nigra's pollination strategy is not well-studied. Berries are recorded to be eaten by the silvereye, a small native bird. Despite this, there is a historical record from the late 1800s of an infant death linked to ingestion of the berries, as such, they may be poisonous to humans.
Dianella nigra is endemic to New Zealand. Its range mainly covers the North and South Island. It also occurs on the Three Kings Islands. The plant generally occurs throughout the North Island. In the South Island, D. nigra is present in the Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, and Otago regions. A population has been recorded near Lake Wānaka. There are no herbarium records collected from the Southland Region, but the botanist Thomas Cheeseman noted that the species is found south to Foveaux Strait. Its 2023 conservation status in the New Zealand Threat Classification System is "Not Threatened".
Dianella nigra has several recorded Māori names, including, piopio, pēpepe, rēua, and tūrutu. The only recorded use of the plant, according the ethnographer Elsdon Best, was the leaves being used to call birds. There is a historical record from the late 1800s of an infant death linked to ingestion of the berries, which could suggest the berries from this species are poisonous. D. nigra is also suspected to have caused deaths in pigs after they had consumed the roots of the plant. Despite D. nigra's potential toxicity, Indigenous Australians from the Sydney region traditionally ate the fruits raw from the Australian Dianella species. Dianella species have historically been used as rat poison in places such as China and Vietnam.
Dianella acutifolia · Dianella adenanthera · Spreading Flax Lily · Matted Flax Lily · Dianella atraxis · Flax Lily · Coast Flax Lily · Short Flowered Flax Lily · Cerulean flaxlily · Dianella callicarpa · Dianella carolinensis · Beach Flax Lily
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dianella nigra by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
