Prumnopitys taxifolia
| Mataī | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Araucariales |
| Family: | Podocarpaceae |
| Genus: | Prumnopitys |
| Species: | P. taxifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Prumnopitys taxifolia | |
Prumnopitys taxifolia, commonly known as mataī and black pine, is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island.
Description
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It grows up to 40 metres (130 feet) high, with a trunk up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) diameter. The leaves are linear to sickle-shaped, 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) broad. The seed cones are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) long bearing 1–6 scales, each scale maturing berry-like, 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long, violet-purple with a soft edible pulp covering the single seed. The seeds are dispersed by the New Zealand pigeon (kererū), which eats the 'berries' and passes the seeds in its droppings.
Bark often flakes off the trunk of the tree, exposing a red colour underneath.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]The scientific name taxifolia derives from the resemblance of the leaves to those of the yew (Taxus).[2] In the past the species, like the other species of Prumnopitys, was often included in Podocarpus; in this species under the name Podocarpus spicatus. It is distinguished from closely related Pectinopitys ferruginea (miro) by the shorter, more slender leaves and the globose violet-purple cones.
Names and etymology
[edit]The etymology of mataī in Māori is unknown, but may link to either mata (raw/unripe) and ī (to ferment or turn sour).[2] Other Māori names for the tree include māī, kākāī and kāī.[3] The name 'black pine' was first used by early European settlers to New Zealand.[2]
Juvenile state
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Unlike the related miro (Pectinopitys ferruginea), mataī has a distinctive and long-lasting juvenile stage. The juvenile is a shrub with a tangle of slender, flexible, divaricating branchlets interspersed with a scattering of brown, pale yellow, or dirty white leaves. After a number of years, the adult tree begins to grow out of the top of the juvenile shrub and then the divaricating branchlets will wither and drop off.[4][5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Prumnopitys taxifolia grows in lowland forests across the North Island and the South Island.[2] It also occurs on Stewart Island / Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there.[6]
Ecology
[edit]Mataī are the host plant for caterpillars of the New Zealand endemic moth species Pyrgotis zygiana.[7] The seeds of this tree also play host to another endemic moth, Heterocrossa iophaea.[8][9]
Uses
[edit]Prumnopitys taxifolia is known as an important tree in traditional Māori culture, and is often the preferred wood to make taonga pūoro (traditional instruments) from. The timber of the tree has a variety of traditional uses, including creating waka huia, wooden objects such as weapons and combs, and to build waka. Thin flexible stems from younger plants were used to make hīnaki, or eel traps.[2]
Mataī berries are edible, and were often collected as a part of the traditional Māori diet. The berries have a turpentine-like flavour.[2] During early European settlement, mataī trees were tapped for their sap, a brown liquid called matai beer.[2]
The timber of this tree was used extensively in New Zealand for flooring during the mid-20th century. Mataī is not threatened,[1] although as a forest-type it has been greatly reduced through widespread logging. Very few intact examples of mataī-dominated forest remain.
In 2019, a sculpture called Te Pou Herenga Tangata, created by Delani Brown was unveiled at the University of Auckland, which was primarily constructed using mataī wood.[10]
Gallery
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A juvenile mataī is a tangle of divaricating branchlets with occasional brown, pale yellow, or dirty white leaves. -
The adult leaves of the mataī are dark green, somewhat glaucous above, glaucous below, and linear to sickle-shaped. -
Botanical illustration by Frederick Polydore Nodder, 1780. -
Herbarium specimen -
Herbarium specimen of seedlings -
Te Pou Herenga Tangata, a 2019 sculpture at the University of Auckland made from mataī wood.
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References
[edit]- ^ a b Farjon, A. (2013). "Prumnopitys taxifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T42541A2986139. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42541A2986139.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Vennell, Robert (2019). The Meaning of Trees. Auckland: HarperCollins UK. pp. 120–123. ISBN 978-1-77554-130-1. LCCN 2019403535. OCLC 1088638115. OL 28714658M. Wikidata Q118646408.
- ^ "mataī". Te Aka Māori Dictionary. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ "Prumnopitys taxifolia | New Zealand Plant Conservation Network". nzpcn.org.nz. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Prumnopitys taxifolia (mataī) description". www.conifers.org. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ Eagle, Audrey (2008). Eagle's complete trees and shrubs of New Zealand volume one. Wellington: Te Papa Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780909010089.
- ^ Dugdale, J. S. (1996). "Chrysorthenches new genus, conifer-associated plutellid moths (Yponomeutoidea, Lepidoptera) in New Zealand and Australia". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 23 (1): 57. doi:10.1080/03014223.1996.9518064.
- ^ Burrows, Colin (1994). "Germinating mataī seeds : an inadvertent experiment" (PDF). www.bts.nzpcn.org.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Jon J.; Burrows, Colin J.; Dugdale, John S. (September 1995). "Insect predation of seeds of native New Zealand woody plants in some central South Island localities". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 33 (3): 355–364. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1995.10412962.
- ^ "Te Pou Herenga Tangata". University of Auckland. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
External links
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