ty! 
PODOCARPUS DACRYDIOIDES, 4. Richard. 
THE KAHIKATEA. 
OrpER—CONIFERE. 
SECTION—PODOCARPE%. 
(Plates XXXI. and XXXII.) 
Tur kahikatea or ‘ white-pine’’ of the timber merchants is a noble tree, often 
forming dense forests in swampy districts, although by no means unfrequent in 
dry or hilly situations below 1,500ft. It was originally discovered by Captain 
Cook in the great forest between the Thames and Piako Rivers: a tree measured 
by him was found to be toft. 8in. in circumference at 6ft. from the ground, 
and Soft. to the first branch. He states, ‘‘ It was straight as an arrow, and 
tapered but little in proportion to its height; so I judged there were 356 cubic 
feet of solid timber in it, exclusive of the branches. As we advanced we saw 
many others that were still larger.” The forest in which it was first discovered 
is probably the largest kahikatea forest in the colony, and I am informed by Mr. 
Bagnall, of the Turua Sawmills, that he has discovered a tree which he believes 
to be the one actually measured by Cook. 
A virgin kahikatea forest affords one of the most striking sights in New 
Zealand forest scenery. Straight unbranched trunks rise one after the other in 
endless series, and in such close proximity that at a short distance no trace of 
foliage is visible except overhead, or in the immediate vicinity of the observer : 
the naked symmetrical shafts, tapering almost imperceptibly, appear to form 
dense walls which completely shut out every glimpse of the outer world. 
The kahikatea attains the extreme height of 150ft., but usually ranges from 
6oft. to 10oft., with a trunk from rft. to 4ft. or even 5ft. in diameter. The bark 
is of a greyish-brown, thin and even in immature trees. Old specimens, espe- 
cially when growing in swamps, often develop large fluted buttresses, but in the 
majority of cases these are wanting, and the trunk is symmetrical from base to 
apex. 
The leaves are of two forms: in young trees about jin. long, flat, but 
slightly bent at the tip, of a rich deep-bronze colour, and arranged in a single 
row on each side of the branchlets. On mature trees they are green, and 
resemble small scales, about jin. long, awl-shaped, and closely appressed to 
the twig, resembling some kinds of cypress. The male flowers are produced in 
small catkins, which are solitary on the tips of the branchlets ; they are about 
lin. in length when the pollen is matured, but elongate as it is liberated. 
The female flowers are of singular structure, and almost unique amongst the 
New Zealand pines: like the male, they are sessile at the tips of branchlets, 
and consist of three or four, rarely two or five, white carpellary leaves, yin. 
long, bent like a sickle, and usually carrying a naked ovule on the inner face. 
After fertilisation the carpellary leaves become coalescent at the base, but make 
little growth until one of the ovules has attained its full size, when they increase 
rapidly until they form a rounded or ovoid crimson pulpy receptacle, fully din. in 
