wildfire as well as freshly cleared ground such as landslides and other open soils as they are among the first species to colonise an area, however, they can tolerate low nutrient soils and dryer conditions, allowing them to be a very resilient and successful plant. They are host to many species of moths, beetles, mites, thrips and sucking bugs, a full list of which can be found here: https://plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz/ReportForm.aspx?RecordId=231&Type=P&SortBy=Alpha&Biostatus=a,c,e,n. These insects all carry out specific roles such as pollination as well as predation and living on the host, providing habitat and sustenance for many of these insects. It also has its own species of weevil, the haloragis weevil which is only known to live on the toatoa that feed on the woody tissue and spend their entire life and reproductive cycle on and within the plant/. Further information The toatoa is often sold as a garden plant and seeds have been transported overseas as an exotic garden plant as it stands out due to its uncommon characteristics such as its red flowers, fruits and stems as well as its serrated leaves causing its popularity. References Flora of New Zealand Haloragaceae