Pipturus argenteus Wedd.

Dioecious shrub or tree to 10 m high. Branchlets strigose. Leaves alternate; lamina ovate, serrate or crenate, attenuate to acuminate apex, rounded (or shallowly cordate) at base, (3–) 8–15 (–18) cm long, (1–) 2–8.5 cm wide (larger leaves with lamina to 25 cm long recorded for Christmas Island), often glossy green above, densely strigose, densely white-woolly beneath (leaf indumentum is variable); cystoliths punctiform, dense; lateral veins 5–7 pairs, the basal prominent (3 strong veins from base); petiole mostly (2–) 5–12 cm long; stipules less than 3 mm long. Inflorescences unisexual, single to few, spicate, (1–) 4–9 cm long, ± as long as petiole; flowers c. 1 mm long, clustered at intervals, subsessile to sessile, densely strigose. Male flowers: tepals 4; stamens 4; pistillode present. Female flowers: perianth tubular, the orifice 3–5-dentate; style long. Fruiting clusters 4–8 mm across, translucent-white. Achenes enclosed by succulent perianth.

A tropical plant but can grow in temperate areas. It is damaged by frost. It grows in forests and areas that are not too dry. It occurs from the coast up to at least 1800 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. It is frequent on rocky cliffs near the sea in the Pacific.

The fibres of this plant have a good tensile strength, and are used to make string and rope (Du Puy 1993). It was used in the Marshall Islands for fibres, cordage, and fishing lines (Save Our Waterways Inc. 2020). It has traditional medicinal uses in some Pacific nations. The fruits are edible bush tucker. See Fern (2014 onwards).

It grows wild. Plants can be grown from fresh seed or cuttings of firm semi-hard wood.