192 
Stature 
Habit 
Linear leaves 
Branches 
Branchlets pe 
Imbricating leaves 
Male catkins 
Female flowers ... 
Nuts 
DACRYDIUM. KIRKIT, 
D, Kirku, 
4oft. to rooft. 
Trunk straight. Branches 
short. 
Abundant even on large trees. 
Faintly marked with scars of 
oldappressed leaves, Leaves 
never woody. 
Nearly cylindrical. 
Faintly keeled. 
Small, broad, black. 
Ageregated. 
Large, compressed, furrowed. 
D. Colensot. 
2oft. to 4oft. 
Trunk short or almost absent. 
Branches long, spreading. 
Tew, chiefly confined to young 
trees, or, rarely, given off 
from the base of the trunk 
of old trees. 
Strongly marked with the scars 
of old leaves, or the leaves 
persistent and of woody tex- 
ture. 
Tetragonous, 
With a prominent keel. 
Larger, oblong, brown. 
Solitary or, rarely, in twos. 
Small. 
Sir Ferdinand von Mueller suggests that Dacrydium Kirki should be referred 
to Pherosphera on account of the frequent non-development of the disc; but the 
fruit and scales of the male catkin agree with those of Dacrydium too closely to 
allow the adoption of this course. 
PROPERTIES AND UsEs. 
The wood of the manaoa is of a light-brown colour, with a minute figure, 
very compact, even, dense, strong, elastic, and of extreme durability: it takes a 
high polish. It is of the highest value, but unfortunately, from its great rarity, 
it is scarcely known in commerce. Some years ago it was occasionally converted 
on the Great Barrier Island, and placed on the Auckland market as ‘ Barrier 
pine.” It was also converted at Whangaroa to a small extent only, and it has 
now become a matter of some difficulty to obtain specimens owing to the tree 
having been destroyed in accessible situations by the progress of settlement. 
Mr. H. S. Wilson informs me that a post of this timber, which is known to 
have been erected a century ago, is still standing in good condition in the fence 
of an old Maori pa at Whatitiri, Poroti. 
It is a highly valuable tree for the ornamental planter and landscape 
eardener. 
DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPECIES. 
This appears to be the rarest and most local species of the genus, being 
restricted to the extreme northern portion of the North Island, and is most 
frequent in the forest country between the Bay of Islands and Hokianga. It 
has been observed in several localities in the Hokianga district and the Upper 
Wairoa, Whangaroa (North), Bay of Islands, Cape Brett, Whangarei, Great 
Barrier Island, and Titirangi, but in some of these localities only a few solitary 
trees are found: in the Titirangi, where it reaches its southern limit, I believe 
only a single tree is known. It is usually thinly scattered amongst other trees, 
but is said to be the chief tree in a large forest in the Purua district. 
It is endemic in New Zealand, 
DESCRIPTION. 
Dacrydium Kirkii, F. Mueller. | 
Parlatore, in De Candolle’s ‘ Prodromus,”’ Vol, xvi., part 1. 
P- 495- 
Hook. f., ‘‘ Icones Plantarum,” t. 1,219. 
A pyramidal or conical dicecious tree, 4oft. to tooft. high; trunk, aft. to Aft. 
in diameter. Leaves dimorphic: on sterile branches, rin. to rJin. long, qin. 
