Cupressaceae

Trees or shrubs with opposite or whorled leaves that are small and scale like and usually appressed on adult plants. Buds not scaly.

Libocedrus

Libocedrus is the only genus in the Cupressaceae found in New Zealand. These are monoecious trees with opposite scale like leaves in four rows. The genus contains nine species which are found in California, Chile, Japan, New Caledonia and New Zealand. New Zealand has two endemic species, Libocedrus bidwilli (kaikawaka, pahautea, cedar) and Libocedrus plumosa (kawaka). Both are pyramidal trees with stringy bark and branchlets in two rows and juvenile leaves slightly larger than the adult. Male cones about same width as branchlet, female cone ovoid, 10-15 mm long with four scales each bearing a single spine. Libocedrus bidwilli is the smaller of the two, the adult branchlets are four-sided and grows in montane to subalpine forests south of 36º50´. Libocedrus plumosa is localised in lowland forest from North Cape to Rotorua and NW Nelson. Modified from Allan (1961).

Libocedrus bidwillii at tree-line on Mt Taranaki.

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.