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Prumnopitys taxifolia
Also called Matai, Mataī
Mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia) is a large, long-lived New Zealand conifer, native to the North and South Islands and Stewart Island, that grows slowly and tolerates deep shade, especially in its young juvenile form which looks like a wiry shrub.
Prumnopitys taxifolia, commonly known as mataī and black pine, is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a dioecious evergreen conifer reaching 30 metres (100 feet) in height, with a stout trunk up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter, typically inhabiting lowland to montane forests. It is endemic to New Zealand; its range mainly covers the North and South Islands, it is also found on Stewart Island, but is uncommon there. P. taxifolia is a slow-growing tree and is highly shade-tolerant. P. taxifolia is profoundly heteroblastic; its young form is distinct and resembles a divaricating-wiry shrub, which may last for up to 60 years. It is unknown why P. taxifolia developed this characteristic. P. taxifolia has an average lifespan of 600 years, although it sometimes may live longer than 1000 years.
Prumnopitys taxifolia's fruits are dispersed by fruit-eating animals (frugivores), such as birds. The fruits of P. taxifolia reflect some ultraviolet radiation, which is visible to some species of birds and vertebrates, although they do not reflect as strongly as Dacrycarpus dacrydioides. A 1989 study, published in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology, recorded the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni), tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), and weka (Gallirallus australis) as dispersers of the fruits of P. taxifolia. The fruits are also eaten by introduced blackbirds (Turdus merula) and song thrushes (T. philomelos). The kākā (Nestor meridionalis) have been recorded destroying the fruits of P. taxifolia. The seeds of P. taxifolia are eaten by the larvae of Heterocrossa iophaea. P. taxifolia is a host to the native beetles, Ambeodontus tristis and Prionoplus reticularis.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Prumnopitys taxifolia 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.
