Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Kahikatea
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Dacrycarpus genus in the family Podocarpaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Podocarpaceae
- Genus
- Dacrycarpus
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Woodiness
- woody
- Growth rate
- slow
- Height
- 6 m
- Fertility
- Self sterile, Wind
- Flower type
- dioecious
- Pollinators
- Wind
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - raw. A sweet taste[3][4], it is palatable but with a slightly oily taste[7]. Also used as a masticatory[8] (this last report probably refers to the use of the resin). A resin is obtained from the tree[4], it is used as a chewing gum[7].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Product or use
- Gum
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Plants are fairly amenable to trimming and could possible be grown as a hedge in mild areas of the country[10]. Wood - yellowish, easily worked. Used for general carpentry and for paper pulp[1][12][13][6].
- Product or use
- Resin
- Product or use
- Wood
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Secondary canopy
Environment
- Range
- New Zealand.
- Habitat
- Lowland forest, often dominant in swamp forests, North, South and Stewart Islands[11].
- Shade tolerance
- partial shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking 18 months or more. It is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible[10]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Cuttings of short leading shoots, late summer in a frame[1]. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. It side shoots are used as cuttings they will form prostrate plants[10].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Requires sheltered moist woodland conditions[5]. Plants are not very frost-tolerant and are only hardy outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain[1][14]. In their native habitat trees can reach 45 metres in height, but they are slow growing in Britain and rarely exceed 6 metres[2][9].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Laing. and Blackwell. Plants of New Zealand. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd 1907-00-00
Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-19-558229-2
Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00
Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00
Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X