Dacrydium cupressinum
Rimu | |
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A mature rimu | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Araucariales
|
Family: | Podocarpaceae |
Genus: | Dacrydium |
Species: | D. cupressinum
|
Binomial name | |
Dacrydium cupressinum | |
Natural range of D. cupressinum | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Thalamia cupressina Spreng |
Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen
The Māori name rimu comes from the Polynesian term limu which the tree's foliage were reminded of,[3] ultimately from Proto-Austronesian *limut meaning "moss".[4] The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use.
Description
Rimu is a coniferous tree with dark red wood that reaches a height of 35–60 m (115–197 ft), with a trunk 1.5–2 m (4.9–6.6 ft) in diameter. The bark is flaky and dark-brown in colour. In its juvenile stages the branches are thin and numerous, but as the tree grows older around three quarters of the tree becomes branchless.[5] It has a lifespan of 600–800 years, but may reach beyond 1000 in rare cases.[6]
The yellowish-green foliage varies in size and shape between the juvenile, sub-adult, and adult life stages. The leaves begin 0.4–10 mm long and 0.5–0.1 mm wide with sharp points. They are divided along an axis and roughly shaped like a sickle. In sub-adults the leaves shorten to 4–6 mm long, curve upward, and become diamond shaped. In adults the leaves become smaller, just 2–3 mm long, and press against one-another tightly.[5]
Male and female cones, or
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Bark
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Male cones
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Fruit
Distribution
Rimu grows throughout New Zealand, in the
Uses
The inner bark can also be used to treat burns and cuts.[11]
In cultivation
Although slow to establish, with a long juvenile period and fairly high moisture requirements, rimu is widely grown as an ornamental tree in New Zealand. It is attractive at all growth stages, usually quite narrow when young, then developing into a broader tree with weeping branches before finally progressing to its more upright adult form. While rimu does exhibit some variation in the wild, garden cultivars are largely unknown, except for one recent introduction, 'Charisma', which is a compact, golden-foliaged form.[citation needed]
Pests and diseases
This species plays host to the New Zealand endemic beetle Agapanthida pulchella.[12]
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9780909010089.
- ^ "Limu: mosses, seaweed and lichens". Te Māra Reo: The Language Garden. Benton Family Trust. 2022.
- ^ Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen (2010). "*limut: moss, algae". Austronesian Comparative Dictionary. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ a b c de Lange, P. J. (2006). "Dacrydium cupressinum". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ISSN 0028-825X.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived February 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wellington City Council. "Otari-Wilton's Bush brochure" (PDF). Wellington City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2014.
- Wikidata Q58677387.
- ^ Wallace, R., & Sutton, D. G. (1989). A preliminary study of wood types used in pre-European Maori wooden artefacts. Saying So Doesn’t Make It So: Papers in Honour of B. Foss Leach. Dunedin: New Zealand Archaeological Association Monograph, 17, 222-232.
- ^ "Maori uses: Medicinal plants, Conifers". University of Auckland. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- Wikidata Q56166058.
External links
- "Dacrydium cupressinum". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 3 October 2010.