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  4. Halocarpus kirkii

Halocarpus kirkii

A Halocarpus kirkii plant showing juvenile and adult foliage, November, Kauaeranga Valley.<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>
Juvenile (foreground) and adult (background) foliage. Te Paki.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/09/2011, 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>
Juvenile (foreground) and adult (background) foliage. Te Paki.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/09/2011, 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>
immature male cones. Kauaeranga Valley.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/10/2007, 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>
Te Paki.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/09/2011, 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 kirkii tree, November, Kauaeranga Valley.<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 Hobson.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, 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>
Kauaeranga Valley.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/10/2007, 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>
Juvenile (foreground) and adult foliage. Kauaeranga Valley.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 31/10/2007, 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>
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Biostatus

Native – Endemic taxon

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Trees & Shrubs - Gymnosperms

Detailed description

Dioecious forest tree up to 25 m tall, trunk up to 1.5 m d.b.h., bark greyish brown to dark brown, flaking in irregular to subcircular flakes, wood pale brownish red. Branches spreading, upper most often starkly erect, surfaces often marked with scars of old appressed leaves, and often retaining a few persistant, long dead, somewhat woody leaves. Foliage markedly heteroblastic, that of seedlings, juveniles and reversion shoots on adult trees 15–50 × 1–4 mm, yellow green to green, linear, apex obtuse to acute, mucronate, coriaceous; midribs distinct; petiole 1–3 mm long, often slightly twisted; adult foliage scale-like closely quadrifariously imbricating, 2–3 mm long, ovate-oblong to rhomboid, obtuse, faintly keeled, margin hyaline; appressed. Ultimate branchlets 1–2 mm diameter, subterete to terete, somewhat smooth. Male strobili up to 12 mm long, sessile, solitary and terminal; apiculus obtusely triangular. Branchlets bearing female cones terminal or subapical, cone scales 3–5, glaucous to green-grey, conspicuous, ovules solitary. Epimatium completely covering seed. Aril orange. Seeds 3–8 mm, lustrous black, ovoid-oblong, somewhat compressed, distinctly striate. Seeds taking two years to mature.

Similar taxa

Halocarpus kirkii is completely allopatric from the other two species of the genus H. bidwillii and H. biformis (though on the Moehau range, both species are nearly sympatric). Its distinctive heteroblastic condition, preserved in even fully mature trees serves to distinguish it from the only superficially similar conifer with which it may grow Manoao colensoi. From hand and herbarium specimens of Halocarpus bidwillii and H. biformis, H. kirkii can be recognised by the much longer juvenile and reversion shoot foliage which is up to 50 mm long, and from H. bidwillii by the orange rather than white arils. The aril of H. biformis is pink to orange but the mature leaves of that species are prominently keeled whilst those of H. kirkii are only faintly so.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island and Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island), from Te Paki (Radar and Unuwhao Bush) south to near Limestone Downs (south of Port Waikato) in the west and about the southern Kauaeranga Valley in the east.

Habitat

A northern species associated with kauri (Agathis australis (D.Don.) Lindl.) forest. In mature kauri forest it is most usually found in apparently even aged cohorts of 10 or less trees along ridge lines, in swampy hollows or at gully heads. This species appears to thrive on disturbance and it is at its most abundant on the margins of kauri and gumland vegetation sites originating from past fires, gum digging and/or kauri logging.

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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPS, DPT

Jump to previous conservation statuses

Threats

Although it was undoubtedly logged when suitable trees were found, this species appears to have never been common, and it still has a highly fragmented, sporadic distribution in what are otherwise largely intact tracts of its preferred habitat kauri (Agathis australis) forest today. It is the opinion of conifer experts (though studies are needed to confirm this) that this species is naturally sparse because it requires frequent disturbance to regenerate—thus climax type forested habitats are not suitable long term habitats for this species. whether this is true or not, Halocarpus kirkii is most commonly found flourishing (i.e., with all size classes in the appropriate numbers) in secondary regrowth forest abutting older, intact, kauri dominated remnants (e.g., Radar Bush, Maunga Hirakimatā (Mt Hobson)).

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Podocarpaceae

Authority

Halocarpus kirkii (Parl.) Quinn

Synonyms

Dacrydium kirkii Parl.

Endemic taxon

Yes

Endemic genus

Yes

Endemic family

No

Ecology

Flowering

October–December

Fruiting

December–November

Life cycle and dispersal

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

Propagation technique

Best from fresh seed but often fickle and even well established plants are prone to sudden collapse. Monoao is a beautiful tree whose mixed juvenile/adult foliage is particularly attractive. In good conditions it can be quite fast growing and usually forms a small bushy tree up to 10 m tall within about as many years.

Other information

Etymology

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

kirkii: After Thomas Kirk (18 January 1828 - 8 March 1898), a NZ botanist and lecturer in natural sciences and regarded as a leader of botanical enquiry in NZ for over three decades. One of his most significant publications was Forest flora of NZ (1889) but he also contributed over 130 papers to the Transactions and Proceedings of the NZ Institute and other journals.

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.

HALKIR

Chromosome number

2n = 22

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 | At Risk – Relict | Qualifiers: DP, Sp

2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp

2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RF

2004 | Sparse

Jump to current conservation status

Regional conservation statuses

Auckland: 2025 | At Risk – Regionally Relict | Qualifiers: DE, DPS, DPT, PF, RR

The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) 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.

Kirk T. 1889. The Forest Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 345 p. https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE17359801.

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 3 February 2006. Description adapted from Allan (1961), Kirk (1889) Webb & Simpson (2001), fresh material and herbarium 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 kirkii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/halocarpus-kirkii/ (Date website was queried)

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