Dacrydium cupressinum

Dacrydium cupressinum
Rimu
A mature rimu
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Podocarpaceae
Genus: Dacrydium
Species: D. cupressinum
Binomial name
Dacrydium cupressinum
Sol. ex Lamb.
Natural range of D. cupressinum

Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use.

Contents

Distribution

A young rimu in cultivation

Rimu grows throughout New Zealand, in the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. Although the largest concentration of trees is now found on the West Coast of the South Island, the biggest trees tend to be in mixed podocarp forest near Taupo (e.g., Pureora, Waihaha, and Whirinaki Forests). A typical North Island habitat is in the Hamilton Ecological District, where Nothofagus truncata and rimu form the overstory. Associate ferns on the forest floor are Blechnum discolor, Blechnum filiforme, Asplenium flaccidum and Hymenophyllum demissum.[1]

Description

Rimu is a slow-growing tree, eventually attaining a height of up to 50 m, although most surviving large trees are 20 to 35 m tall. It typically appears as an emergent from mixed broadleaf temperate rainforest, although there are almost pure stands (especially the west coast of the South Island). There are historical accounts of exceptionally tall trees, 61 m, from dense forest near National Park, New Zealand, now destroyed.[2] Its lifespan is approximately 800 to 900 years. The straight trunk of the rimu is generally 1.5 m in diameter, but may be larger in old or very tall specimens.[2]

Trunk of a rimu with rata (Metrosideros) vines

The leaves are spirally arranged, awl-shaped, up to 7 mm long on juvenile plants, and 1 mm wide; and 2 to 3 mm long on mature trees.[2] It is dioecious, with male and female cones on separate trees; the seeds take 15 months to mature after pollination. The mature cones comprise a swollen red fleshy scale six to ten mm long bearing one (rarely two) apical seeds 4 mm long. The seeds are dispersed by birds which eat the fleshy scale and pass the seed on in their droppings; they are an important food resource for some species, particularly the kakapo, whose breeding cycle has been linked to cone production cycle of the tree.

Uses

Historically, rimu and other native trees such as kauri and totara were the main sources of wood for New Zealand, including furniture and house construction. However, many of New Zealand's original stands of rimu have been destroyed, and recent government policies forbid the felling of rimu in public forests, though allowing limited logging on private land. Pinus radiata has now replaced rimu in most industries, although rimu remains popular for the production of high quality wooden furniture. There is also limited recovery of stump and root wood, from trees felled many years before, for use in making bowls and other wood turned objects.

The inner bark can also be used to treat burns and cuts.[3]

There is only one cultivated variety called Charisma (rimu)

References

  1. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
  2. ^ a b c Salmon, J.T. (1993). The Native Trees of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: Reed Books. pp. 74–79. 
  3. ^ "Maori uses: Medicinal plants, Conifers". University of Auckland. http://www.sbs.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/science/about/departments/sbs/newzealandplants/maoriuses/medicinal/conifers/rimu-dacrydium.cfm. Retrieved 2008-10-12. [dead link]
  • Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Dacrydium cupressinum. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dacrydium cupressinum — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Rimu Un rimu maduro Estado de conservación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dacrydium cupressinum — Rimu Ausgewachsener Rimu Systematik Abteilung: Pinophyta Klasse: Pinopsida …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dacrydium cupressinum — kiparisinis dakridis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Podokarpinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, medieninis augalas (Dacrydium cupressinum), paplitęs Naujojoje Zelandijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Dacrydium cupressinum angl. red pine; rimu šaltinis… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Dacrydium cupressinum — ID 25124 Symbol Key DACU2 Common Name New Zealand red pine Family Podocarpaceae Category Gymnosperm Division Coniferophyta US Nativity Cultivated, or not in the U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution N/A Growth Habit N/A …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Dacrydium cupressinum — noun tall New Zealand timber tree • Syn: ↑rimu, ↑imou pine, ↑red pine • Hypernyms: ↑conifer, ↑coniferous tree • Member Holonyms: ↑Dacrydium, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dacrydium cupressinum Sol. ex Lamb. — Symbol DACU2 Common Name New Zealand red pine Botanical Family Podocarpaceae …   Scientific plant list

  • Dacrydium — cupressinum Systematik Überabteilung: Samenpflanzen (Spermatophyta) Abteilung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dacrydium — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Dacrydium Dacrydium cupressinum Clasificación científica …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dacrydium — Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division …   Wikipedia

  • Dacrydium — araucaroides Dacrydium balansae Dacrydium beccarii Dacrydium comosum Dacrydium cupressinum Dacrydium cornwalliana Dacrydium elatum Dacrydium ericoides Dacrydium gibbsiae Dacrydium gracilis Dacrydium guillauminii Dacrydium leptophyllum Dacrydium… …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”