Araucariaceae

A southern hemisphere family of usually large trees with spirally arranged leaves and scaly buds. The male's cones have stamens with many elongate pollen sacs, globular female cones, with numerous single scales.

Agathis

The only genus of this family found in New Zealand, Agathis contains about 20 species, found along the western Pacific from the Philippines to New Zealand. Represented here by one endemic species Agathis australis (kauri). A large tree reaching 50 m that has glaucous-grey, hammer-marked bark and the leaves are flat, leathery with parallel veins. The juvenile leaves are 50-100 mm long and lancolate while the adult leaves are smaller, 2-4cm, and linear-oblong. Trees are monoecious, male cones axillary, 20-40 mm long, female cones on the end of short branchlets, 50-80 mm in diameter and spherical. Found in lowland to montane forest from North Cape to 38º. Modified from Allan (1961).

From left to right: Agathis australis tree (note the people standing at the base); foliage; and close up of an immature female cone.

KEYS

Families

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand, Volume I, Government Printer, Wellington

Poole, A. L. & N. M. Adams 1994: Trees and shrubs of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington.

Genera in Podocarpaceae

Connor, H.E. & Edgar, E. 1987: Name changes in the indigenous New Zealand flora, 1960-1986 and Nomina Nova IV, 1993-1986. New Zealand Journal of Botany 25(1): 115-170.

Quinn, C.J. 1982: Taxonomy of Dacrydium Sol. ex Lamb. emend. de Laub. (Podocarpaceae). Australian Journal of Botany30: 311-320.

References

Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand, Volume I, Government Printer, Wellington.

Connor, H.E. & Edgar, E. 1987: Name changes in the indigenous New Zealand flora, 1960-1986 and Nomina Nova IV, 1993-1986. New Zealand Journal of Botany 25(1): 115-170.

Markham, K.R., R.F. Webby, B.P.J. Molloy & C. Vilian 1989: Support from flavonoid glycoside distribution for the division of Dacrydium sense lato. New Zealand Journal of Botany 27: 1-11.

Molloy, B. P. J. 1996: A new species name in Phyllocladus (Phyllocladaceae) from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 34(3):287-297.

Molloy, B. P. J. 1996: Manoao (Podocarpaceae), a new monotypic conifer genus endemic to New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 33: 183-201.

Molloy, B. P. J. & K. R. Markham 1999: A contribution to the taxonomy of Phyllocladus (Phyllocladaceae) from the distribution of key flavonoids. New Zealand Journal of Botany. 37(3):375-382.

Poole, A. L. & N. M. Adams 1994: Trees and shrubs of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington.

Quinn, C.J. 1982: Taxonomy of Dacrydium Sol. ex Lamb. emend. de Laub. (Podocarpaceae). Australian Journal of Botany30: 311-320

Webb, C.J., W.R. Sykes & P.J. Garnock-Jones 1988: Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV, DSIR Wellington.

Bobrov, A.V.CH., A.P. Melikian, & E.YU. Yembaturova 1999: Seed morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of Phyllocladus L.C. & A. Rich. ex Mirb. (Phyllocladaceae (Pilg.) Bessy) in connection with the generic system and phylogeny. Annals of Botany 83: 601-618.