PODOCARPUS SPICATA, R. Brown. 
THE MATAI. 
OrRDER—CONIFERA. 
TRIBE—PODOCARPE. 
(Plates IV. and V.) 
Tue matai is commonly termed ‘ black-pine ’’ by the settlers except in the 
Nelson District, where it is known as ‘‘red-pine,’”” a name applied to the rimu 
(Dacrydium cupressinum) in other parts of the colony. It was originally dis- 
covered by Banks and Solander, who gave it the manuscript name of Dacrydium 
taxifolium, and was described by Robert Brown in Horsfield’s ‘‘ Plante Javanice’’ 
under the name of Podocarpus spicata, being subsequently figured by Sir Willbam 
Hooker in ‘‘ Icones Plantarum”’ in 1843, t. pxtim. It belongs to the section 
Stachycarpus of Bentham and Hooker, characterized by the flowers being 
arranged in spikes. 
It must be admitted that at first sight the matai does not agree with the 
popular idea of a coniferous tree: instead of a cone of woody bracts arranged in 
a spiral manner to protect a large number of winged seeds, its fruit is fleshy, 
resembling a small plum in structure, and contains but a single seed: its leaves 
are flat instead of being needle-shaped, solitary instead of being produced in 
fascicles ot two, three, or five; they are arranged in two rows, one on each side 
of the branchlet, instead of forming a series of spirals; lastly, the cotyledons, the 
first leaves produced by the germinating seed, instead of being numerous, are two 
in number, as in ash or elm. It exhibits, however, the essential character of 
the order in the structure of the leaves and wood, andin the naked ovule (or seed- 
bud) ; also in fertilisation being effected by the direct access of the pollen-grains 
to the nucleus of the ovule. 
The matai attains a maximum height of 8oft., with a trunk but rarely 
exceeding 3ft. in diameter; larger specimens are occasionally met with. As with 
many other of the New Zealand trees there is a singular difference between the 
early and mature stages: young trees from toft. to 2oft. high exhibit crowded, 
slender, pendulous branches, ramifying into innumerable branchlets, the small 
narrow leaves, which are of a bronzed tint, being confined to the extremities ; in 
this stage it is a weeping tree of most remarkable appearance, and differs so 
widely from the mature state that both Natives and settlers have assured me that 
it is a different tree, of which neither flowers nor fruit have been discovered ! 
Young trees from toft. to 2oft. high may always be found having the pendulous 
branches with brown leaves developed on the lower part of the stems, and ordi- 
nary erect branches with green leaves above. 
In the mature state the matai forms a round-headed tree, with erect branches, 
ultimately developing a vast number of short, strict, close-set branchlets. The 
leaves rarely exceed jin. in length; they are green above and whitish beneath. 
Both the male and female flowers are arranged in spikes, and are produced from 
