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Dracophyllum arboreum
Also called Chatham Island Grass Tree
Tarahinau is a tree from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand that can reach 18 m, with juvenile leaves that are broad and later needle-like. It grows best in a damp, acidic, peaty soil in full sun or light shade.
Dracophyllum arboreum, commonly known as Chatham Island grass tree and tarahinau (Moriori), is a species of tree in the heath family Ericaceae. Endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, it reaches a height of 18 m (60 ft) and has leaves that differ between the juvenile and adult forms.
D. arboreum has wide light green leaves in its juvenile form, which become thin needles as it gains maturity. Flowering occurs from November through to February, yielding small white flowers which later become tiny brown fruit. It inhabits many different types of vegetation communities from near sea level to 270 m (886 ft), including swamps, cliffs, bogs, and shrublands. It has a range restricted to three Islands some 800 km (497 mi) east of New Zealand: the Chatham, Pitt, and Rangatira Islands.
D. arboreum can be cultivated from seed but will be difficult to maintain and prefers a damp, acidic, peaty soil – like its habitat on Chatham Island.
Endemic to the Chatham Islands, an island chain around 800 km (500 mi) east of the south Island, it is found on the Chatham, Rangiuria and Rangatira Islands. It is in abundance on the southern tableland of Chatham Island in lowland forests and in the drier regions of swamps, as well as in the transition section between moorland and forest in association D. paludosum–particularly in its juvenile form. On Rangiuria Island, also known by its English name Pitt Island, D. arboreum dominates the upland forest with Rautini (Brachyglottis huntii) and various species of tree ferns.
Dracophyllum acerosum · Dracophyllum cockayneanum · Dracophyllum densum · Grass Tree · Dracophyllum filifolium · Fiordland grass tree · Fitzgerald Tree · Dracophyllum kirkii · Needle Leaved Neinei · Gumland Grass Tree · Inaka · Dracophyllum macranthum
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dracophyllum arboreum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
