Prumnopitys ferruginea

Wikipedia links:       Gymnosperms > Cupressales > Podocarpaceae  > Prumnopitys ferruginea

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Common name:         Miro

• The Māori name miro comes from the Proto-Polynesian word milo which refers to the Pacific rosewood (Thespesia populnea) in tropical islands far north

Conservation status: Least concern

Etymology:   

• The scientific name ferruginea derives from the rusty colour of dried herbarium specimens of the leaves

Cones and seed:                                      

• The plants are dioecious 

• With pollen cones being solitary 

• Those of female plants hang from a curved, scaly stalk

• The seed cones are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 2–3 cm long bearing 1-3 scales, each scale maturing berry-like, oval, about 20 mm long and 10–15 mm broad, red to purple-red with a soft edible pulp covering the single seed

• The seeds are dispersed by the New Zealand pigeon, which eats the very conspicuous 'berries' and passes the seeds in its droppings

• It is found growing on both lowland terrain and on hill slopes throughout the two main islands as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura (47° S)

• The Tree can live for at least 600 years

Leaves:         

• The leaves are linear to sickle-shaped, 15–25 mm long and 2–3 mm broad, with downcurved margins

Stem & branches: 

• It grows up to 25 m high, with a trunk up to 1.3 m diameter

Roots:         

Habit:        

Habitat:   

• An evergreen coniferous tree 

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to New Zealand

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • Before the genus Prumnopitys was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus as Podocarpus ferrugineus

• Distinguishing features

  • Miro is distinguished from the related, and (initially) very similar looking mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia) in four aspects of its anatomy; its cones, bark, seeds and leaves.

  • Miro trees have longer, broader leaves with green undersides while those of mataī leaves are white. In addition, the leaves of miro generally narrow to a point, whereas those of mataī are rounded, sometimes with a small point right at the very tip. Fine, flat, feathery foliage

  • Miro trees have cones of some hue of red in colour while those of mataī are blue-black

  • Miro also have relatively longer cones which are oval and red in colour

  • Like matai, the bark of more mature miro trees flakes off to leave a distinctive "hammer mark pattern", but unlike mataī, the pattern is not as pronounced nor as colourful (areas from which bark flakes have recently fallen in mataī often have a striking red colour that fades over time back to brown). these leaves take up to 3 years to decompose