A small, creeping herb with rounded, kidney-shaped leaves that have a mild flavour and were eaten by Māori. A plant of the damp forest. The leaves are the plant's most distinctive feature. They are rounded and kidney-shaped, with scalloped margins and a crinkled texture. The leaves are held on long stalks that rise from the creeping stem. The colour is a bright, glossy green. The leaves are covered in small hairs, giving them a soft, velvety texture. A plant that is soft to the touch. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, arranged in spikes that rise above the leaves. They are followed by small, red fruits that are sweet and juicy. The fruits are eaten by birds, which disperse the seeds. The plant grows in dense colonies in damp, shaded forest. It prefers the banks of streams and the floors of damp gullies. It is an important ground cover in these habitats, preventing erosion and providing shelter for small animals. The leaves were eaten by Māori as a green vegetable. They have a mild flavour, similar to spinach, and can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruits were eaten as a sweet treat, a small burst of sweetness in the damp forest. To find native gunnera is to walk the damp forest floors and stream banks. The damp forest is dark. The gunnera creeps, kidney-shaped leaves glossy green, small red fruits bright. A leaf is picked and tasted. It is mild, like spinach. The fruit is sweet. The plant does not know it fed Māori. It does not know it prevents erosion. It just wants to grow where it is damp. A plant of the shaded damp, a quiet presence on the forest floor. The leaves are soft to the touch, the fruits are sweet to the taste. The gunnera of the understorey, the green of the damp places. That is its job.