''Agathis ovata'', the mountain kauri, is a species of

conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ex ...

, genus ''

Agathis ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

'' in the family

Araucariaceae Araucariaceae – also known as araucarians – is an extremely ancient family of coniferous trees. The family achieved its maximum diversity during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and the early Cenozoic, when it was distributed almost world ...

. It is found only on the

southwest Pacific The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

island of New Caledonia. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Habitat

''Agathis ovata'' is found only in New Caledonia on montane scrubland or in forests, although it requires a high level of rainfall so is generally restricted to between 150 and 1000 metres. ''Agathis'' were once found worldwide, although species such as this are now becoming very restricted. Other members of this family,

, include Hoop Pine (''

Araucaria cunninghamii ''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of '' Araucaria'' known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist ...

''), Queensland Kauri (''

Agathis robusta ''Agathis robusta'' (syn. ''A. palmerstonii''), the Queensland kauri (pine) or smooth-barked kauri, is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. (Although sometimes called a pine, it is not a true pine, and has leaves, not needles.) It has ...

'') and Cook Pine (''

Araucaria columnaris ''Araucaria columnaris'', the coral reef araucaria, Cook pine (or Cook's pine), New Caledonia pine, Cook araucaria, or columnar araucaria, is a species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae. Distribution The tree is endemic to New Caledonia in ...

''), of which the former two are found in rainforests and the latter in coastal forests of New Caledonia. Although these trees are at no risk, ''Agathis ovata'' is at a high risk of extinction from logging of tall forest trees and mining activities which clear its habitat.

Description

It is a medium tree, growing to 25 metres tall with a straight trunk in forests, although on the scrubland where it is more common it is a large shrub or small tree, branching from the base upwards with a broad, flat, crown and 1–8 metres tall. The bark has deep fissures, and is normally whitish-tan on the outside and red-brown on the underside.

Gallery

File:Agathis ovata.jpg, File:Agathis ovata 2.jpg, File:Agathis ovata 3.jpg,

References

ovata Conservation dependent plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{conifer-stub