''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of podocarp tree

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. It grows throughout the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

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and rarely on

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in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to . Tōtara is commonly found in lowland areas where the soil is fertile and well drained. Its

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

name comes from the Proto-Polynesian word *''tootara'' (related to the word ''tara'' lit. ' thorn') which when passed down to descendant languages refer to spiny creatures, especially the porcupinefish (''Diodon hystrix'') due to its spiky leaves. The spelling "totara" without the ''tohutō'' is also common in English.

Description

The tōtara is a medium to large

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

, which grows slowly to around exceptionally to ; it is noted for its longevity and the great

girth Girth may refer to: Mathematics * Girth (functional analysis), the length of the shortest centrally symmetric simple closed curve on the unit sphere of a Banach space * Girth (geometry), the perimeter of a parallel projection of a shape * Girth ...

of its trunk. The

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

peels off in papery flakes, with a purplish to golden brown hue. The sharp, dull-green, needle-like

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are stiff and leathery, long. This plant produces highly modified

cones In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

with two to four fused, fleshy, berry-like, juicy scales, bright red when mature. The cone contains one or two rounded

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s at the apex of the scales. The largest known living tōtara, the Pouakani Tree, near Pureora in the central North Island, is over tall and nearly in trunk diameter at breast height. Bushmen discovered it in 1950. Other large trees are known in this area, while Whirinaki Forest, to the east, but also on deep recent volcanic soils, has groves of very tall tōtara (over in height). Tōtara is often found regenerating on farmland, as it is not eaten by livestock.

Varieties

The two varieties of tōtara are: * ''P. t.'' var. ''totara'' * ''P. t.'' var. ''waihoensis''

Related trees

In a classic example of

Antarctic flora Antarctic flora are a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana. In 2025, species of Antarctica flora reside on several now separated areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including ...

species-pair the tōtara is very closely related to ''

Podocarpus nubigenus ''Podocarpus nubigenus'' (also known as ''P. nubigena'') is a species of podocarp, endemic to the Valdivian temperate forests of southern Chile and adjacent southwestern Argentina. It is the southernmost podocarp in the world. It grows from 38 ...

'' from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, to the extent that if planted together, they are very difficult to distinguish. The best distinction is the grey-green tone of the leaves, compared to the slightly brighter green of ''P. nubigenus''.

Cultivation

Tōtara grows easily from fresh seed and cuttings. It has been planted in the United Kingdom as far north as Inverewe,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Several cultivars for garden use have been introduced. These include 'Albany Gold' and 'Aurea', both have yellow 'gold' foliage that darkens in winter; 'Pendula', which has a weeping growth habit that is especially pronounced in young plants; 'Silver Falls', also pendulous but with cream-edged foliage; and 'Matapouri Blue', which has a conical form and glaucous foliage.

Human use

The

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

is hard, straight-grained, and very resistant to rot, especially its

heartwood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

. Due to its durability, tōtara wood was often used for fence posts, floor pilings, and railway sleepers. It is also prized for its carving properties, and was the primary wood used in

carving. It was the primary wood used to make ''waka'' (canoes) in traditional Māori boat building due to its relatively light weight (about 25% lighter than

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

), long, straight lengths, and natural oils in the wood that help prevent rotting. Tōtara could be drilled with chert points to make holes near the edges of the timber without splitting. In larger tōtara ''waka'', three or more sections were laced together with flax rope. A tōtara ''waka'' took at least a year to make using stone adzes. Bark from tōtara is used to cover and protect traditional pōhā bags.

Symbolic meaning

Within

Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Polynesians, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of Culture of New ...

, the tōtara is regarded as a symbol of strength and ''

mana Mana may refer to: Religion and mythology * Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology * Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...

''. Upon the death of a prominent figure, the phrase ''Kua hinga te tōtara i te wao nui a Tāne'' ("A mighty tōtara has fallen in the forest of Tāne") or similar is often used as a mark of respect.Hurihanganui, Te Aniwa
Te Huirangi Waikerepuru dies aged 91
" ''Radio New Zealand'', 9 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2025.

Gallery

image:PodocarpusTotara.jpg, Receptacle and seed of tōtara image:PodocarpusTotaraBark.jpg, The reddish-grey bark of the tōtara is thick, corky, furrowed and stringy

References

External links

* . * New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, URL
''Podocarpus totara'' var. ''totara''
Accessed 2010-10-03. * New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, URL
''Podocarpus totara'' var. ''waihoensis''
Accessed 2010-10-03. {{Taxonbar, from=Q164276 totara Trees of New Zealand Endemic flora of New Zealand