Description

Aotearoa New Zealand native kahikatea tree (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides).

A large endemic NZ tree eventually growing to 50m and occasionally up to 80m – it is New Zealand’s tallest native tree.

Kahikatea has been around for more than 160 million years and existed alongside the dinosaurs during the Jurassic period.

The odourless timber was historically used for making butter boxes, and as a result of logging Kahikatea swamp forest is now uncommon in many parts of the country.

Commonly grows in swampy ground, although tolerates a range of conditions including hillsides. Has a distinctive juvenile phase, with adult foliage starting to appear once the tree is 1-2m tall.

Masses of attractive (and edible) orange-red fruit produced in late summer and autumn – these attract many birds including Tui and Kereru.

Current height approx 1.5m above PB8 planter bag.

These plants are grown locally in Ngāmotu New Plymouth and have been donated to Heritage Taranaki to help support our mission of conserving our region’s unique heritage.

All proceeds from the sale of this product, minus any transaction fees, goes towards supporting our heritage advocacy work.