Kneel down. Pick a berry. Pop it in the mouth. Sweet. Then pick another. The plant does not mind. It has plenty. Native pratia is a small, creeping herb with pairs of rounded leaves. They are edible and have a mild, slightly sweet flavour. They can be eaten raw in salads. The small, white or blue flowers appear in summer. The plant forms dense mats in damp, open areas. The small, purple berries are also edible. A plant that gives food without asking much. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the creeping stem. They are rounded, bright green, and slightly fleshy. The stems root at the nodes. This forms dense, spreading mats that can cover large areas. The plant holds the ground together. The flowers are small and white or blue. They have five petals. They appear in summer and are followed by small, purple berries. The berries are sweet and juicy. Birds eat the berries. They disperse the seeds. The plant feeds the birds and travels with them. Native pratia is a plant of damp, open areas. It grows in damp grassland, at forest margins, and along stream banks. It forms dense mats that can suppress weeds and stabilise the soil. To find native pratia is to walk the damp forest margins and stream banks. Look for the creeping mats of rounded leaves. Look for the white or blue flowers. Look for the small purple berries. It is a plant of the damp places. A ground cover in the shade. The leaves are mild. The berries are sweet. In Māori tradition, panapana was used as a green vegetable. The leaves were eaten fresh. The plant was also used medicinally. The small, sweet berries were eaten as a treat. The creeping habit was noted. It was known as a sign of healthy, damp soils. It was a plant of the forest margins. It was gathered by those who knew the damp places. A sweet berry from the edge of the bush. A creeping green in the shade. Populations are considered stable and widespread. The species is common in damp areas throughout New Zealand. It is threatened by competition from introduced weeds. Habitat loss from land clearance is the primary threat. Climate change affects wetland habitats. The damp places are shrinking. The pratia spreads where it can. It does not ask for thanks. It just grows.