''Prumnopitys taxifolia'', the mataī ( mi, mataī) or black pine, is an endemic New Zealand

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

ous tree that grows on the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It also occurs on Stewart Island/Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there. It grows up to 40 m high, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are linear to sickle-shaped, 10–15 mm long and 1.5–2 mm broad. The seed cones are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 3–4 cm long bearing 1-6 scales, each scale maturing berry-like, 10–15 mm long, violet-purple with a soft edible pulp covering the single seed. The seeds are dispersed by the New Zealand pigeon (kererū), which eats the 'berries' and passes the seeds in its droppings.

Classification

The scientific name ''taxifolia'' derives from the resemblance of the leaves to those of the

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

(''Taxus''). In the past the species, like the other species of ''

Prumnopitys ''Prumnopitys'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the family Podocarpaceae. The nine recognized species of ''Prumnopitys'' are densely branched, dioecious evergreen trees up to 40 metres in height. Etymology The name ''Prumnopitys'' comes ...

'', was often included in '' Podocarpus''; in this species under the name ''Podocarpus spicatus''. It is distinguished from '' Prumnopitys ferruginea'' (miro) by the shorter, more slender leaves and the globose violet-purple cones.

Juvenile state

Unlike the related miro (''Prumnopitys ferruginea''), mataī has a distinctive and long-lasting juvenile stage. The juvenile is a shrub with a tangle of slender, flexible, divaricating branchlets interspersed with a scattering of brown, pale yellow, or dirty white leaves. After a number of years, the adult tree begins to grow out of the top of the juvenile shrub and then the divaricating branchlets will wither and drop off.

Ecology

Mataī are the host plant for caterpillars of the New Zealand endemic moth species ''

Pyrgotis zygiana ''Pyrgotis zygiana'' is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. ''P. zygiana'' was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1882 from a specimen obtained in Canterbury. This species has also been recorded in Titira ...

''. The seeds of this tree also play host to the another endemic moth ''

Heterocrossa iophaea ''Heterocrossa iophaea'' is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. It is Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1907 using material collected by Alfred Philpott in Invercargill. In 19 ...

.''

Use

The timber of this tree was used extensively in New Zealand for flooring during the mid-20th century. Mataī is not threatened, although as a forest-type it has been greatly reduced through widespread logging. Very few intact examples of mataī-dominated forest remain.

References

External links

Citizen science observations of mataī
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1127677 taxifolia Trees of New Zealand Trees of mild maritime climate Least concern plants Divaricating plants Endemic flora of New Zealand