BOTANY. 
679 
more than twenty years, it then almost pulverizes with the 
touch, hut if exposed to the air, appears to he as durable 
as either the rimu or kauri; the kahikatea has resin in its 
heart, which, when burnt, produces a disagreeable smell ; it 
contains much saccharine matter, which is found in lumps, 
of a very sweet and bitter taste, the wood likewise has a 
similar quality, a gum also exudes from it, an infusion of 
the wood is highly tonic, and will, I have no doubt, be found 
valuable as a medicine when better known. 
Matai , mai, (dacrydium maij a tree with a fine thick top 
and leaf, much resembling that of the yew ; it produces a 
purple berry like a small plum, of a sweet, fragrant, though 
slimy taste ; the wood is of a slightly reddish color, close 
grained, but brittle, and peculiarly fragrant when burnt ; it 
is highly prized as fuel, and also much used for furniture, as 
it works up very easily, and comes next to the totara in 
durability ; the resin from this tree is very aromatic ; it 
chiefly abounds in the interior, and there attains a height of 
about a hundred feet, with a diameter of four. 
Kawaka , hoaha, (dacrydium plumosum.) This tree grows 
in large quantities on the central plains ; the wood is of a 
very dark red grain, and said to be as durable as the totara; 
it has a remarkable foliage, which makes it conspicuous in 
the forest, but is generally found on the outskirts fronting 
the plains ; its height is seldom much above sixty feet. 
Rimu , ( dacrydium cujoressinum.) This is one of the greatest 
ornaments of the New Zealand forest ; its beautiful light 
green foliage hangs down in graceful festoons, the fruit is 
very similar to that of the Jcahikatea , the wood red, streaked 
with dark lines, and is much prized for furniture and house 
building ; it is known as the red pine, and is a hard and 
heavy timber, but rather brittle, it produces a resin, which is 
also slightly sweet and bitter, and, if wounded, emits a black 
bitter gum ; the fragrance of the wood, when burnt as fuel, 
is extremely pleasant ; it attains a great elevation, and is one 
of the highest trees of the forest ; young plants are rarely 
met with ; and it is remarkable, that if planted in the open 
air, it requires shelter, as it cannot stand the cold of winter, 
