THE PINE FAMILY 69 



swollen and form an attractive fruit, pleasantly sweet to the taste. Podocarpus 

 nivalis grows at an altitude of from 2,000 to 4,000 feet. The specific name has 

 reference to its sub-alpine habitat. 



Podocarpus totara {The Totara). 

 A lofty timber tree, one of the most valuable in the colony. 

 The wood is of a reddish colom-, and is equalled only by the 

 kauri for lightness, toughness, and durability. It is used for 

 telegraph posts, wharf piles, and sleepers — in fact, for anything 

 where durability is required. The Maoris hollowed out their 

 war canoes, sometimes seventy feet in length, from single 

 totara logs. Its timber was so highly prized by the natives 

 that fine, healthy trees became heirlooms, and disputes for 

 possession of these trees often led to bloodshed. Its chief 

 defect is in its brittle nature, as, when loaded to its full 

 strength, it may break suddenly without warning. It is very 

 hard, and resists the boring of the teredo or ship-worm (a 

 marine boring mollusc) more successfully than any other 

 timber. This tree is peculiar to New Zealand, and attains its 

 greatest height on low levels. The stiff, narrow leaves 

 culminate in a sharp, needle-like point. The bark of the tree 

 is often horizontally ringed near the base, and hangs in thin, 

 papery strips. The foliage is of a brownish hue, especially in 

 the young state. 



Podocarpus spicata (The Spiked Podocarpus or Black Pine). 



This pine, known to the natives as the Matai, is a lofty tree, 

 but never of very great diameter. In its young state the 

 branches are drooping, and bear scattered leaves of a deep 

 coppery tint. When mature, however, the branches are 

 upright and spiky like those of an ordinary pine. Both 

 male and female flowers are born in spikes ; hence the name 

 spicata. 



The young and the old trees are so extraordinarily different 

 in appearance, that they were for some time believed to be 

 separate species. Specimens have, however, been observed 



