PODOCARPUS TOTARA, A. Cunningham. 
THE TOTARA. 
OrperR—CONIFERA. 
TRIBE—PODOCARPEA, 
(Plate CXV.) 
With the exception of the kauri the totara affords the most valuable timber 
in New Zealand, but, unlike the kauri, it is found almost throughout the colony. 
It sometimes forms large groves or even forests, but is usually mixed with other 
trees. The foliage is of an unattractive dull-brown tint, but it forms a noble 
tree, sometimes exceeding tooft. in height, with a trunk from 2ft. to 6ft. or even 
8ft. in diameter, clothed with fibrous brown bark, which is deeply furrowed, and 
sometimes fully 3in. thick at the base of the trunk: it is often ringed horizontally 
near the base of the trunk, and hangs in thin papery ribbons. Massive sym- 
metrical trunks, from 6oft. to 8oft. long without a branch, are found in many 
localities : usually, however, it is of less dimensions ; not unfrequently ripe trees 
may be found with trunks from 2oft. to 30ft. long and less than 2ft. in diameter. 
The leaves are usually spreading, and, except in size, there is but little difference 
between those of seedlings and mature trees; they may be scattered or arranged 
in two rows, and are of very thick texture, stiff and rigid, about rin. long and 
scarcely fin. wide, narrowed at both ends, sharply pointed, straight or curved, 
erect or spreading. The young shoots and leaves are of a pale bluish-green ; 
at the base of the shoots a few recurved membranous leaves are developed, but 
speedily fall away. 
The male and female flowers are produced on separate trees, and closely 
approach those of P. Hallii in structure. The male catkins are developed in 
the axils of the leaves on shoots of the previous year; they may be solitary or 
in clusters of two or three, and sessile or very shortly stalked; they are about 
Jin. to #in. long, obtuse, and have a small involucre consisting of tour minute 
flat leaves at the base: the connective is slightly produced upwards, obtuse and 
toothed. The female flowers are developed in the axils of the leaves at the 
base of new shoots, and appear before the leaves are fully formed, which 
probably accounts for their having remained so long unknown; they are solitary 
or, rarely, in twos, and are shortly stalked; each flower consists of two united 
carpellary leaves, one of which carries an ovule: after fertilisation the ovule 
increases rapidly in size, while the carpels remain stationary. When the nut is 
fully formed, which may be in the autumn or not until the following spring, the 
carpellary leaves usually become swollen and pulpy, assuming a bright-red or 
crimson colour, often hiding the peduncle; but in many instances the carpellary 
leaves do not swell, becoming dry and shrivelled: the nut is rounded at the 
apex. 
The flowers are produced in October and November, and ripe fruits may 
usually be found on the tree at the same time, but the bulk of the fruit falls in 
March or April. P. Halli produces its flowers in December and January. 
