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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
2. Libocedrus, Endl
2. Libocedrus, Endl.
Usually tall trees. Leaves opposite, small and scale-like, quad-rifariously imbricate, either all equal and decussate, or flattened on the branchlets, the lateral larger and keeled, those on the upper and lower faces of the branchlets smaller and flat. Flowers monoecious or diœcious; males terminal, solitary, oblong or ovoid or almost globose, consisting of a staminal column sessile within the uppermost leaves and bearing several or many decussately placed anthers; connective scale-like, ovate, subpeltate; anther-cells usually 4, pendulous. Female cones oblong or ovoid, terminating short branchlets; scales 4 or 6, decussately opposite, the lowest pair smallest and sterile, the second pair with 2 erect collateral ovules at the base of each scale, the third pair when present sterile and connate. Scales of the mature cones persistent, gaping, indurated, mucronate or horned at the back towards the tip. Seeds solitary or rarely 2 at the base of each fertile scale, compressed, unequally winged.
A small genus of 9 species, with a very singular distribution, 1 being found in California, 2 in Chili, 2 in New Zealand, and 1 each in New Caledonia, New Guinea, China, and Japan.
Branchlets of mature trees more or less compressed, not tetragonous. Cones ½ in. long 1. L. Doniana, Branchlets of mature trees always tetragonous. Cones ¼–⅓ in. long 2. L. Bidwillii.
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L. Doniana, Endl. Syn. Conif. 43.—A tall forest-tree 30 to 70 ft. high or more, with a narrow tapering head; trunk 2–4 ft. diam.; bark stringy, falling off in long ribbons. Branchlets distichous; of young trees vertical, much flattened and compressed, ⅕–¼ in. broad; of old trees horizontal, less compressed, but not obviously tetragonous, 1/10–⅛ in. broad. Leaves quadrifarious, the lateral larger, especially on young trees, where they are often ⅕in. long, sheathing and connate at the base, spreading, acute; those on the upper and lower faces of the branchlets 1/25–1–12 in. long, triangular, appressed to the branch. Male flowers about ¼ in. long, hardly broader than the branch; anthers 8–12; connective thin, ovate, subpeltate. Female cones ovoid, about ½ in. long, woody; scales 4, spreading, each with a sharp curved spine at the back. Seeds 2 to each cone.— Hanab. N.Z. Fl. 256; Kirk, Forest Fl. t. 82. Thuya Doniana, Hook, in Lond. Journ. Bot. i. (1842) 571; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 231. Dacrydium plumosum, D. Don. in Lamb. Pin. ed. ii. App. 143; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 330. page 647North Island: In forests from Mongonui southwards to Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, but often rare and local. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Kawaka; New Zealand Arbor-vita. Wood dark-red, beautifully grained, said to be durable, but on account of its scarcity little used. Very young seedlings have narrow linear-subulate leaves spreading on all sides, but these soon pass into the quadrifarious stage. |
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L. Bidwillii, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 257.—Very similar to L. Doniana, but usually smaller, seldom more than 50 ft. high, with a trunk 1½—3 ft. diam., in subalpine or cool peaty localities often reduced to a fastigiate bush or small tree 10–20 ft. high. Branchlets of young trees closely resembling those of L. Doniana, but rather narrower; of mature trees tecragonous, 1/15–1/12 in. diam., densely clothed with almost uniform triangular acute closely appressed leaves. Female cones like those of L. Doniana, but smaller, ¼–⅓ in. long.—Kirk, Forest Fl. t. 83. North and South Islands: From Te Aroha Mountain and Mount Egmont southwards to Foveaux Strait, not uncommon in hilly or mountain forests. 800–4000 ft. Pahautea; Cedar. Often confounded with the previous species, but the obviously tetragonous branchlets of the mature tree, with almost uniform leaves, are characteristic and readily distinguish it. Wood soft, red, straight in the grain, easily split, and •apparently of great durability, but of low specific gravity and somewhat brittle. |