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  4. Halocarpus bidwillii

Halocarpus bidwillii

Tongariro National Park, Whakapapa Walk.<br>Photographer: John E. Braggins, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mt Ruapehu, January.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mt Ruapehu, April.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Mt Ruapehu, April.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ahuriri Valley, Canterbury.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Bark detail, Dingleburn.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
The Wilderness Scientific Reserve, Southland.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
The Wilderness Scientific Reserve, Southland.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ben Dhu Scientific Reserve.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ben Dhu Scientific Reserve.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ben Dhu Scientific Reserve.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Halocarpus bidwillii.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Halocarpus bidwillii.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Halocarpus bidwillii.<br>Photographer: Mike Thorsen, Licence: All rights reserved. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Bungtown Scientific Reserve.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Date taken: 01/03/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Growing in a wire rush bog, upper Upukaroa River, Southland.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 23/08/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Bog pine shrubland on forest edge, Waterloo Valley, Takitimu Mountains. Southland.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 20/07/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

bog pine

Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Gymnosperms

Simplified description

Much-branched, shrubs or small trees. Foliage distinctly dimorphic (less obvious in adults but usually evident in shaded foliage and on basal branches). Branchlets initially 4-angled, slender (thread-like), leaves bronze-green, yellow-green (often red-tinged). Fruits comprising a dark dark brown, black-brown to dark purple-brown seed sitting within a fleshy, waxy white cup.

Flower colours

No flowers

Detailed description

Dioecious, spreading or erect, much-branched shrub or small tree up to 4.8 m tall. Trunk 0.3–0.4 m d.b.h, usually multiple, rarely solitary, sometimes spreading. Bark firm, flaking in irregular shards, exposed surface grey, usually covered in lichens, undersides red to red-brown. Branches spreading, bases sometimes layering on contact with soil (in extreme examples give rise to a ring of clonal shrubs surrounding ‘parent’); branchlets initially tetragonous, becoming ± terete with age, 1.2–2.0 mm diameter. Foliage dimorphic; juveniles linear, coriaceous, rigid, apetiolate, spreading,; lamina 5.0–10.0 × 1.0–1·5 mm, bronze green to yellow-green, sometimes tinged red, obtuse to subacute, midvein distinct; adults leaves closely imbricate, coriaceous; lamina 1–2 mm long, obtuse to subacute. Male strobili solitary, terminal and sessile, 2.8–4.6 mm long; apiculus obtuse. Female cones sessile, terminal, each surrounded by leaf-like, elongated bracts (1–5 of which are fertile), and terminating in a central sterile appendage. Carpidia solitary or paired, subterminal, larger than associated bracts. Epimatium adnate to base of carpidium; dorsiventrally compressed and striated, initially green, maturing dark-brown to black with the region around the micropyle swelling to form a fleshy, waxy-white (very rarely yellowish), persistent aril collar at the proximal end of the carpidium; the aril cupular to v-shaped under seed. Seed glabrous, smooth, 3.0–4.5 mm long (including aril), dark brown, black-brown to dark purple-brown, glossy, ovate-oblong, compressed.

Similar taxa

Easily recognised when fruiting by the waxy white (very rarely yellowish) arils subtending the seed. Vegetatively it is distinguished from the other Halocarpus by the smaller much-branched shrub to small tree growth habit, weakly keeled leaves (prominently so in H. biformis), and more slender, initially tetragonous, branchlets. The seeds of Halocarpus bidwillii are distinguished from H. biformis (with which it most often confused) by the ventral and dorsal surfaces usually prominently longitudinally grooved (sometimes only on the ventral surface) (see Webb & Simpson 2001).

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from the Central Volcanic Plateau and Kaingaroa Plain south but distribution patchy), South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. Records of Halocarpus bidwillii from Te Moehau (Colville, Coromandel Peninsula) are referable to H. biformis.

Habitat

Lowland to subalpine (strictly montane to alpine in the North Island). A shrub or small tree of wetland margins, bogs, poorly draining heathland, frost-flats, river beds and also dry, stony ground and tussock grassland. Halocarpus bidwillii can be locally dominant.

Current conservation status

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2023 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

Not Threatened—though uncommon and in decline within some parts of its North Island, eastern and southern South Island range.

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Podocarpaceae

Authority

Halocarpus bidwillii (Kirk) Quinn

Synonyms

Dacrydium bidwillii Kirk

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

Yes

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–December

Fruiting

February–June

Life cycle and dispersal

Arrilate seeds are dispersed by frugivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Propagation technique

Easily grown from seed. Can be struck from semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings—but often fickle. best grown in an open site in a well drained but moist soil. Dislikes drought and humidity.

Wetland plant indicator status rating

Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]

FAC: Facultative

Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).

Other information

Etymology

halocarpus: From the Greek hals ‘sea’, ‘salty’ and karpos ‘fruit’

bidwillii: Named after the botanist - John Carne Bidwill (born 1815 and died 16 March 1853)

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

HALBID

Chromosome number

2n = 18

Previous conservation statuses

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.

  • Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DP

2012 | Not Threatened

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Allan HH. 1961. Flora of New Zealand, Volume I. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 1085 p.

Quinn CJ. 1982. Taxonomy of Dacrydium Sol. ex Lamb. emend. de Laub. (Podocarpaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 30(3): 311–320. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT9820311.

Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.

Webb CJ, Simpson MJA. 2001. Seeds of New Zealand Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Manuka Press, Christchurch. 428 p.

Attribution

Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange 12 November 2014: Description adapted from Allan (1961), Quinn (1982), Webb & Simpson (2001) and fresh and dried specimens.

Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.

NZPCN Fact Sheet citation

Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Halocarpus bidwillii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/halocarpus-bidwillii/ (Date website was queried)

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