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 colour, and is equalled only by the 

 kauri for lightness, soundness, 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 

 durable in water, 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 spicatus (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 borne in spikes ; hence the name 

 spicatus. 



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 



