Podocarpus nivalis

Alpine Tōtara

The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, "foot") + καρπός (karpós, "fruit")
odocarpus nivalis was first described and drawn by W.J. Hooker in 1843 in his Icones Plantarum. The plant described was found on Mount Tongariro, on the North Island of New Zealand, by William Colenso, "near the limits of perpetual snow"
The species name "nivalis" means "growing in or near the snow"; a vernacular name for the plant is "alpine tōtara"

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Habit:

Habitat:

Distribution:

This species is found in the North Island south of Mt Hikurangi and Mt Pirongia and in the South Island

Additional notes:

odocarpus nivalis, the mountain or snow tōtara, is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand
Description
- Podocarpus nivalis grows as a shrub of 20–40 cm. with spreading branches
- It can also be semi-erect and up to 2 or 3m tall. Branches that contact the soil often root
- It forms mats of a few square metres
- Leaves are thick, rigid and close together. They are arranged spirally and are a brownish green colour when they age
- The leaves are 3–10 mm long and 2-2,5 mm wide and boat-shaped (naviculate) to ovate-linear. They may be curved outwards or down
- The leaves are obtuse or mucronate at the apex
- Succulent red aril of Podocarpus nivalis in Arthur's Pass National Park. The arils are edible, and have a sweet but resinous flavour.
- Succulent red aril of Podocarpus nivalis in Arthur's Pass National Park. The arils are edible, and have a sweet but resinous flavour
Cultivation and uses
- It is one of the hardiest podocarps of the Southern Hemisphere, it has withstood minus 25 °C in the British Isles, and survives long periods under snow in its native habitat, close to the tree line in NZ's high mountains
- It needs high rainfall to grow well

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