Podocarpus totara (totara) description

Pouakani, the largest known Totara and largest tree in the Podocarpaceae [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.10].

Mature tree in Kitchener Park, Feilding, New Zealand [Trevor Hinchliffe].

Old tree in Kitchener Park, Feilding, New Zealand [Trevor Hinchliffe].

Totara at Whangarei Falls [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.18].

Totara growing in a field near Matauri Bay [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.16]. Totara has naturalized to the pasture lands better than most native NZ conifers.

Totara subject to severe cattle browsing in a field near the start of the Waihoanga Gorge Loop Track, Puketi Forest [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.17].

Totara seedling about 15 cm tall on the Nature Loop track at Puketi Forest [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.18].

Distribution map (Metcalf 2002).

Pollen cones on an ornamental specimen at Quail Botanical Garden, California [C.J. Earle, 2004.04.06].

Totara with 460 rings, at the Auckland Museum [C.J. Earle, 2003.03.11].

Podocarpus totara

G. Benn. ex D. Don in Lamb. 1828

Common Names

Totara (Allan 1961).

Taxonomic Notes

Syn: P. totara D. Don ex Hook. 1842; Nageia totara (G. Benn. ex D. Don) F. Muell. 1876; Podocarpus totara G. Benn. ex D. Don var. waihoensis Wardle 1972 (Farjon 1998).

Description

Tall, slow-growing forest trees up to 30 m tall and 200 cm dbh. Bark thick, stringy, furrowed; cast in long strips, which shroud the trunk until falling. Leaves brownish to dark green; of juveniles ca. 2 cm × 1-2 mm; of adults 1.5-3 cm × 3-4 mm, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly falcate, acute, pungent, coriaceous, patent, sessile by narrow base, midvein distinct or obscure. Pollen cones 1-1.5 cm long, solitary or up to 4 together on a short peduncle, surrounded by broad rigid scales; apiculus small, obtuse, sparingly denticulate. Female branchlets axillary, flowers solitary or paired, peduncle 2-3 mm long; receptacle of 2-4 scales, acute and free at tips, usually red, swollen and succulent, occasionally dry. Seed subglobose when mature, or ovoid-oblong, 3-5 mm long, nutlike (Allan 1961, Salmon 1996).

"In its early stages a totara forms a spreading, bushy and attractive tree. As it gains height it acquires a massive trunk and branches that bear dense foliage. Older trees become more open in habit and the top tends to die back. Enormous roots spread out over the ground at the base of the trunk " (Salmon 1996).

Range

New Zealand: N & S Islands, in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at 0-480(-600) m elevation (Allan 1961, Salmon 1996).

More information on the lowland forests of New Zealand.

Big Tree

The totara is the largest known tree in the Podocarpaceae. A tree called Pouakani, near Mangapehi in King Country, Southern Waikato, is 388 cm dbh and 42.7 m tall, with an estimated wood volume of 203.7 m³. This tree is well known. Note that a sign located at the base of the tree provides incorrect height, girth and wood volume information. The tree is located at 38.46716° S, 175.61928° E. A tree in Pureora Forest Park is 51 m tall (Robert Van Pelt e-mail 27-Jan-2003), and another at Pureora Forest Park has a dbh of 333 cm and is 27 m tall (Burstall and Sale 1984). One at Gwavas Station is said to have a dbh of 213 cm or 7 feet (IDS yearbook 1996, page 86, misreported as 7 m [Thomas Pakenham, pers. comm.]).

Oldest

Ages to 1800 years are attributed with no supporting evidence (Salmon 1996). The greatest data-based age I have is the 460-year-old cookie shown in the photo.

Dendrochronology

It does not appear that tree-ring chronologies have been constructed for the species. The earliest work seems to be that of Bell and Bell (1958, who found that samples from a given area could be correlated with each other, but also noted that "the totara ring patterns are difficult to read, however, confused by false rings, commonly distorted in growth, and often lacking in circuit uniformity." Long after, this finding was echoed by Norton and Ogden (1990), who described the species as subject to ring wedging: "Ring wedging occurs when rapid radial growth occurs over several years in certain segments of the tree's circumference, while being extremely slow or absent in others... Examination of complete cross sections can help overcome this problem, and for some species accurate age counts must be based on cross sections rather than increment cores."

Ethnobotany

"One of the largest trees in the forest, its timber was prized by Maori as being the best for building their massive war canoes, and was also the main timber used for carving. Until more recent times it was also valued for bridge and wharf construction, as well as a wide variety of other uses ... Ancient Maori custom demanded that when a totara tree was felled for timber a young seedling had to he planted in its place in order to appease Tane, the god of the forest, for removing one of his 'children' " (Metcalf 2002).

Observations

This species is common and well-known in New Zealand, and is among the most popular of ornamental trees, besides which it readily establishes in pasture land. It may be the most popular New Zealand conifer planted in warm temperate areas around the world. The Pureora Forest Park area, as described above under "Big Tree," has the largest known totara. Fine large trees can be seen along many walks in the forest; ask at the local Department of Conservation office for more information. Large totaras can also be seen in most other outstanding native forests of the North Island, such as Whirinaki, Te Urewera, Puketi, Omahuta, Waipoua, and the flanks of Mts. Ruapehu and Taranaki. The species is also said to be widespread in lowland tropical forest of Fiordland National Park on the South Island.

Remarks

Subject to a fungal leaf spot disease caused by Corynelia tropica (Hood 1985).

Citations

Bell, V. and R. E. Bell. 1958. Dendrochronological studies in New Zealand. Tree-Ring Bulletin 22:7-11. Available online at www.treeringsociety.org/TRBTRR/TRBvol22_7-11.pdf (accessed 2006.06.05).