[7] They lack stalks, have dark veins, and tend to bend toward their narrower edge.

[7] The leaves have a wrinkly look,[8] consistent with the name rugosum from the Latin word “ruga” which means “wrinkle.”[9] They are pinnate and alternate,[6] often grow in a single plane,[7] and tend to be very close to the ground (around the height of someone’s ankle), but are also commonly knee high,[3] and can even be higher as the stems can reach a meter tall.

[3] The stems are juicy,[3] bend at the top, have a woody base, and spread over the ground to root.

[11] Although Cheeseman (1925) notes that both male and female clusters can be found on the same plant,[11] Moore and Irwin (1978) describe them as generally being on separate individuals.

[11] The female flowers mostly lack a stalk, have thinner bracts, and the stigma form little tufts.

It is most common on the northern part of the island, but it can be found going south until the Tararua Range.

[18] The soil moisture and environmental preferences of Elatostema rugosum can [14]be easily found from the fact that its presence is a way of knowing if an area consistently experiences wet, shaded conditions.

[14] This plant can be found so close to streams that its foliage dips into them, which can form microhabitats for invertebrates.

[29] When cooking kūmara in a hāngī, Māori people wrapped it in parataniwha leaves to add flavour.

[30] In plants, stressful times can lead to cell damage caused by the presence of free radicals and reactive oxygen species.

It is possible that red leaves have more UV exposure than the green ones that are usually found in deeper shade.

[30] It is also possible that the antioxidant activity and anthocyanins decrease with age because the plant might eventually synthesise enzymes to perform the same function.

[30] The genus name Elatostema comes from Greek origins and essentially means “exploding stamens.”[9] The common name parataniwha, roughly translates to "home of the taniwha" and suggests the presence of a taniwha, a powerful supernatural being in Māori mythology.