ETYMOLOGY:
From Proto-Polynesian *Nau, a generic name for certain prostrate or creeping plants with aromatic and/or medicinal attributes, through:
Proto Central Eastern Polynesian *Nau, Lepidium sp. (Brassicaceae)
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COGNATE WORDS IN SOME OTHER POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES
[Proto-Polynesian *Nau "prostrate or creeping plants with aromatic and/or medicinal attributes".]
Samoan: Nau (Alyxia stellata - Apocynaceae) & Naunau (Geophila herbacea - Rubiaceae)
Rapanui: Naunau (Santalum sp. - Santalaceae)
[Proto Central Eastern Polynesian *Nau, Lepidium spp.]
Tahitian: Nau (Lepidium sp. - Brassicaceae)
Hawaiian: Naunau (L. bidentatum)
Tuamotuan: Nau (L. piscidium)
Rarotongan: Nau (L. bidentatum)
Note: Naupiro is a combination of nau with piro "oderiferous, stinking". Cf. also naupata.
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Watch this space! This is one of the first pages written in the prototype stage of this web site in 2009, which has been transferred with minimal changes to the newer format. It is still therefore very much under construction, but contains the essential linguistic and botanical information, and both updated text and more pictures will be added progressively as soon as time permits (new pages for plant names not yet discussed are being given priority). If you would like this page to be updated sooner than planned, please email a note to temaarareo at gmail.com.
This name is shared by two quite different plants - a four-metre high forest shrub, Coprosma foetidissima, and a 50cm herb, Gingidia montana. The coprosma links in quite nicely with several of the other plants belonging to the coffee family (Rubiaceae) which have inherited the Proto Nuclear Polynesian name *nau. Gingidia belongs to the same family as the angelicas (until recently its botanical name was Angelica montana), but its stout form and prominent leaflets probably helped someone decide to give it too the name nau. The qualifier piro can mean either stinking or simply aromatic. In the case of the Coprosma it has the former connotation as the plant emits a sulphurous odour if any part of it is even slightly bruised or crushed. Other than that it is quite an attractive tree. The Gingidia's aroma is considerably more pleasant.
 Both plants occur naturally in the North Island south of Auckland. Despite its Latin specific name, the Gingidia (pictured on the left) used to be relatively common from sea level to above the treeline, but is now much less common because it apparently is very appealing to stock. The Coprosma is found both within and at the margins of forests. It is quite palatable to goats, but, according to a study of done in the Auckland Islands, not nearly as sought after by pigs.
Gingidia montana is known in Māori only as naupiro. Coprosma foetidissima however has many Māori names (only naupiro, however, seems to have been derived from one brought by the first Polynesian settlers). It shares the generic karamū, kāramuramu, kākaramū with many other Coprosma species. The oderiferous qualities are incorporated in another set of names: hūpiro, hūpirau-ririki, pipiro and piro. The characteristic narrow leaves group it with some other Coprosmas and several botanically unrelated species under the names mikimiki and mingi.
Coprosma foetida - Naupiro (Male inflorescence)
(Western Hutt Hills. Photo: (c) Jeremy Rolfe, NZPCN)
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Gingidia montana - Naupiro
(Arthurs Pass, Canterbury. Photo: (c) Mike Thorsen, NZPCN) |
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Photographs: The inset photo is by the late John Smith-Dodsworth. The other photographs are acknowledged in the captions. We are grateful to all the photographers for permission to use their work.
Citation: This page may be cited as: R. A. Benton (2009) "The Māori plant name Naupiro" (web page periodically updated), Te Māra Reo. "http://www.temarareo.org/TMR-Naupiro.html" (Date accessed)
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