- ‘Genties Giant’ is a species – Corokia macrocarpa.
- It can be a great addition to coastal gardens due to its salt and wind tolerance.
- Once established, it can tolerate dry conditions.
- It’s a good choice for low-maintenance garden designs.
- The berries can be attractive to birds.
Cultivation History of Corokia Geentys Giant
Back in the late 1990’s when our two boys were just starting primary school, we were on holiday in Christchurch visiting a park in Redwood (beside the clock tower) – just me and the two boys. While sitting on the grass watching our boys plays on the kiddies play equipment I remember looking over my right shoulder and saw a plant growing nearby which I thought looked like a corokia, but unlike any corokia I had seen with its large leaves. Somehow a couple of bits about 6 inches long fell off the plant and into a plastic orange juice container (don’t tell anyone) which fell into my hand. Water was put in the container and it was transported all the way up to the Waikato, and the 2 cuttings were processed. It propagated easily and over a short time the numbers were bulked up. But I still did not know its name.
I took a sample into Hamilton to Greens Garden Centre (they were a major customer of ours) to ask the staff if they knew the name. No-one knew.
So I named it Corokia Genties Giant because of its large leaves. The term Genties was a misspelling of Mike Geenty (who did a lot of cultivar selection of corokias) and I intended the name include his name out of respect for his work. The plant was picked up by other growers and it quickly went nationwide with most calling it Corokia Geentys Giant. However I can say categorically Corokia Geentys Giant has nothing to do with Mike Geenty. Some years ago I found out the correct name for the plant is Corokia macrocarpa, and it is not strictly a NZ native, but originates from the Chatham Islands. Corokia Geentys Giant is not a Corokia x virgata cultivar.
In 2024 I went back to the park in Redwood. The plant I had spotted 25-27 years earlier had all but disappeared – there was just a straggly branch about a metre long still alive lying on the ground sticking out from the stump. How the original plant got to the park in Redwood is unknown, but someone must have travelled to the Chathams sometime and brought some bits back. And if this was not strictly legal, good luck on finding out who.
Last Updated on October 8, 2025 by admin
