''Podocarpus nivalis'', the mountain or snow tōtara, is a species of conifer in the family

Podocarpaceae Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

. It is endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Name and etymology

''Podocarpus nivalis'' was first described and drawn by W.J. Hooker in 1843 in his ''

Icones Plantarum ''Icones Plantarum'' is an extensive series of published volumes of botanical illustration, initiated by Sir William Jackson Hooker. The Latin name of the work means "Illustrations of Plants". The illustrations are drawn from herbarium specimens o ...

''. The plant described was found on

Mount Tongariro Mount Tongariro (; ) is a compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of th ...

, on the North Island of New Zealand, by

William Colenso William Colenso (17 November 1811 – 10 February 1899) FRS was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician. He attended the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and later wrote an accou ...

, "near the limits of perpetual snow".''Icones Plantarum'', vol 2 of the New Series, or vol 6 of the entire work
Tab. 582
(see the next page for the drawing). The species name "nivalis" means "growing in or near the snow." A vernacular name for the plant is "alpine tōtara".

Description

''Podocarpus nivalis'' grows as a shrub of 20-40 cm. with spreading branches. It can also be semi-erect and up to 2 or 3m tall. Branches that contact the soil often root. It forms mats of a few square metres. Leaves are thick, rigid and close together. They are arranged spirally and are a brownish green colour when they age. The leaves are 3-10 mm long and 2-2,5 mm wide and boat-shaped (naviculate) to

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ova ...

-linear. They may be curved outwards or down. The leaves are obtuse or mucronate at the apex.

Distribution

This species is found in the North Island south of Mt Hikurangi and Mt Pirongia and in the South Island.

Cultivation and uses

It is one of the hardiest

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

s of the Southern Hemisphere, it has withstood minus 25 °C (minus 13 °F) in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, and survives long periods under snow in its native habitat, close to the tree line in NZ's high mountains. It needs high rainfall to grow well.

References

Sources