Plagianthus divaricatus, makaka, salt marsh ribbonwood, or marsh ribbonwood is endemic to the North, South, Chatham and Stewart Islands. It is found in coastal salt-marsh areas, on coastal banks, the backs of stony beaches, and around fringes of estuaries. For this reason it has value as one of the few plants that will tolerate both salt laden winds and wet soils. It is a small bushy tangled shrub 1-2m tall with wide-angled thin twigs (young twigs are more or less covered with star-shaped hairs) bearing small very narrow clusters of leaves and small drooping creamy white to pale yellow flowers from September to October, followed by a rounded capsule from November to April, that is 5mm wide and usually contains one seed.