306 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [CHAP. 
THE TANAKAHA TREE (Podocarpus asplenifolius) 
is found scattered over a large portion of the northern 
island of New Zealand, but is nowhere met with in 
abundance. It arrives at its greatest perfection on a 
dry soil and at a moderate elevation. 
It is of straight growth, and attains a height of 60 to 
80 feet, with a circumference of about § feet, the branches 
being thrown out nearly horizontally at about 30 to 
40 feet up the stem, and forming above this a fine 
pyramidical head. The leaves are I to 1% inch in 
length, and % to 3 inch in breadth. The bark is 
thick, smooth, and of a dark-brown colour: it is used 
by the natives to dye their garments either black or 
brown. 
The wood is close and straight in the grain, and 
yellowish-white in colour, though not so light as that of 
the Kauri. It has a close resemblance to the Huon 
Pine of Van Diemen’s Land. It works up well, is 
tough and very strong; so much so that the New 
Zealanders say it is the “strong man” among their 
forest trees. 
The Tanakaha tree yields timber 10 to 16 inches 
square, and 18 to 45 feet in length, and is employed for 
masts, and for the decks of small vessels built for the 
coasting trade ; it is found to answer admirably for these 
purposes, and is also valuable to the carpenter as a 
building material. 
The specific gravity of the seasoned wood is about 
600, but logs which have been only felled a few weeks, 
and therefore have their moisture only partially eva- 
porated, will not float. 
THE RIMU TREE (Dacrydium cupressinum). 
This tree is found in many of the forests of New 
