THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



equal to English Oak in strength . . . the most widely distri- 

 buted wood in New Zealand" (91). Works like English Birch, 

 saws and planes easily and sweetly, but the grain "picks up" 

 in little scales. "Shrinks laterally in drying, . . . spars . . . 

 more used in carpentry than any other wood of the south of New 

 Zealand " (91). 



Authorities. Perceval (91), pp. 14 and 30. Laslett (60), p. 

 400. Ditto (61), p. 433. CoUinson (24). Smith (in), p. 353- 

 Kirk (59). Agent-General for N.Z. (A.G.). 



Colour. Heart-wood blush-red or brown well defined from the 

 yellowish-brown sap-wood. " Heart deep red, sap-wood less than 

 4 inches in trees 4 feet in diam., but proportionally greater in 

 smaller trees" (91). "Much varied in colour . . . brown or 

 ^chestnut with a nice diversity of shade and figure" (60). 

 " Reddish-brown resembling Rose-wood " (66). 



Anatomical Characters. As those of Podocarpus dacrydioides 

 No. 219, with the following differences : — 



Rays. Visible with difficulty with lens in the solid wood in 

 all sections. There are also many cells filled with bright crimson 

 contents which show up when moistened. 



Type specimens authenticated by the Forest Officer to the 

 Government of New Zealand. 



No. 218. SILVER PINE (New Zealand). Dacrydium 

 Westlandicum. T. Kirk. 



Plate XVI. Fig. 140. 



Natural Order. Coniferae. 



Alternative Names. Manao (A. G.) Westland Pine (91). 



Source of supply. New Zealand only. 



Physical Characters, etc. Hardness Grade 7, compare English 

 Birch : harder than Kahikatea. Recorded dry-weight 41 lbs. 

 per cu. ft. Smell slightly fragrant when worked. Taste astrin- 

 gent, even bitter. Burns very well with a long, smoky, quiet 

 flame and a very slightly tarry smell : embers glow in still air. 

 Solution with water a beautifully clear green (? if with distilled 

 water) : becomes a deeper green upon the addition of potash, 

 which throws down a brownish ppt. 



Grain. Very fine and even : moderately dense. Surface 

 smooth and bright. 



Bark. Closely adherent, red, £-£ inch thick : of three 

 layers : the inner soft, brown and fibrous in structure : the middle 

 very thin, hard pinkish or purplish serving to mark off the outer 

 rough, brown, crumbling scales of the external layer. An un- 

 usual form of bark. 



Uses, etc. Planes and saws cleanly and smoothly, something 



248 



