Prumnopitys taxifolia
Common names
mataī, black pine
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Gymnosperms
Flower colours
No flowers
Detailed description
Dioecious conifer 25–(30) m tall. Trunk 1–2 m diam. Bark dark brown (almost black), falling in thick circular flakes, leaving a distinctive hammer-like scar patterning on trunk. Wood dark brown to rich yellow-brown, very hard. Juveniles filiramulate, with distinctive, dark brown, slender, flexuous, divarciating branchlets. Leaves of juvenile plants brown, pale yellow, or dirty white, 5–10 × 1–2 mm, linear-lanceolate, apex acute; adult leaves dark green, somewhat glaucous above, glaucous below, 10–15 × 1–2 mm, subdistichous, linear, straight to subfalcate, obtuse, often apiculate. Male cones (strobili) in spikes, 30–50 mm long, with 10–30 cones per spike. Ovules on short axillary branches, 3–10 per 40 mm long spike. Fruit a fleshy, oily, aromatic, terpene-tasting, purple-black drupe with a glaucous bloom. Stone more or less circular (5.5)–6–8.5 mm diam., surface dull to semi-glossy, pale orange-yellow to light orange-yellow.
Similar taxa
Easily recognised by the distinctive filiramulate divaricating juvenile to subadult growth form, charcoal grey hammered bark, dark green to glaucous adult foliage, spicate male cones, and by the ovoid, plum-coloured drupes.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island, South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura (uncommon).
Habitat
Lowland forest. Often in drier climates, where it can dominate alluvial soils which are waterlogged/flooded in winter and dry in summer. Seems to prefer base-rich substrates and soils.
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
Threats
Not Threatened, although as a forest-type it has been greatly reduced through widespread logging. Very few intact examples of mataī-dominated forest remain in the country.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Dacrydium taxifolium Banks et Solander ex D.Don in Lamb., Dacrydium mai A.Cunn., D. mayi Houtte. ex Gord., Podocarpus matai Lamb. Ex Hook.f., Prumnopitys spicata Kent in Veitch, Stachycarpus spicatus (Mirbel) Masters, Podocarpus taxifolia
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
(October)–November–February
Fruiting
Fruits take 12–18 months to mature. Ripe fruits may be found throughout the year.
Propagation technique
Easily grown from fresh seed. Seed may take up to 2 years to germinate Can be grown from hard-wood cuttings but rather slow to strike.
Other information
Cultural use/importance
Gum from the trunk is the basis for “mataī beer”, a deep, rich brew still made in some parts of the country. The dark, hard, durable timber is much sought after for floors and furniture.
Cultivation
Commonly cultivated and frequently sold by most commercial nurseries and outlets—usually from plants raised from seed, however some nurseries stock cutting grown plants raised from adult foliage, thus bypassing the filiramulate, divaricating juvenile growth-form. A very popular garden tree.
Etymology
prumnopitys: From the Greek prymnos ‘hindmost’ or ‘stern’ and pitys ‘pine’, referring to the location of the resin duct
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.
PRUTAX
Chromosome number
2n = 38
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
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
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.
Otago: 2024 | At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, Rel, Sp
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.
Attribution
Prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN, 3 February 2006. Description based on Allan (1961)
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): Prumnopitys taxifolia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/prumnopitys-taxifolia/ (Date website was queried)