Kahikatea is a coniferous tree native to New Zealand and the tallest native tree species in the country, capable of reaching over 60 meters in height on fertile lowland and swamp forest sites. It belongs to the podocarp family and produces small, red, fleshy seed structures that attract native birds, which disperse the seeds after eating them. Historically Kahikatea formed extensive stands on the fertile floodplains of both main islands of New Zealand, but most of this lowland forest was cleared for agriculture after European settlement, and remaining old growth stands are now largely restricted to protected swamp forest reserves. The pale, straight grained timber was once widely used for butter boxes and general construction because it had no odor or resin that would taint food.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleSource of Timber or Wood 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific NameDacrycarpus dacrydioides 3 Conservation Status Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Plantae, Taxa Source Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Source Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (Wikipedia)
Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs to
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, the kahikatea (from Māori) or white pine, is a coniferous tree in the family Podocarpaceae, endemic to New Zealand.
Timber use
In Māori culture, it is an important source of timber for the building of waka and making of tools, of food in the form of its berries, and of dye.
Dye use
In Māori culture, it is an important source of timber for the building of waka and making of tools, of food in the form of its berries, and of dye.
View the Source2. GBIF Species API
3. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q1981615 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
- Child Taxon Of: Plantae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Pinales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12387Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12387
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Pinales","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
5. Kahikatea (Wikipedia)
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Podocarpaceae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12462Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12462
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Pinales","family":"Podocarpaceae"},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Podocarps","language":"EN"},{"name":"Pinos chaquiros","language":"ES"},{"name":"Podocarpes","language":"FR"},{"name":"罗汉松科","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
Plant (Wikipedia)
Lead, whole group is photosyntheticQuote, Lead, whole group is photosynthetic
They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
Plants For A Future: Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Plants For A FutureOther Uses (Wood)
Wood - yellowish, easily worked.
In Biome: Temperate Forest, Habitats
Lowland forest, often dominant in swamp forests, North, South and Stewart Islands
In Biome: Freshwater Swamp Forest, Habitats
Lowland forest, often dominant in swamp forests, North, South and Stewart Islands
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