The New Zealand mountain cedar or pahautea is a stunning native tree. Here are 5 facts about this lovely, sometimes gnarled native tree.
This tree is a type of cedar and can be recognised as such by looking at the ‘leaves’, which have that distinctive scaly type of form. Personally, I have always liked cedars and this mountain cedar is a beauty. I first came across this tree on the slopes of Mt. Taranaki at around 1,000 m elevation, growing in gnarled forms along the Pouakai Crossing hike. This tree impresses me with its ability to grow in inhospitable environments and is always a sign that I’m up in the mountains (one of my favourite places to be).
5 Pahautea Facts
This native tree grows at higher elevations in New Zealand, in the range of 250 – 1,200 meters. It grows on both the North and South Islands and grows at higher elevations in the northern part of its range. In the North Island it can be found around the central part of the Island and jutting out to the Coromandel, towards the east cape, and down to the Tararua Range. An outlier in the North Island is the area around Mt. Taranaki. On the South Island, it can be found throughout the Southern Alps. As some of the literature on this tree points out – this tree often grows in areas that receive moderate amounts of rainfall or in cloud forests.
Pahautea can grow in various forms, from a tall tree up to 20 m tall, to more of a shrub in mountainous or open areas. Some of the trees that grow up in the mountains can take on a gnarled form as the wind and elements have shaped their growth over years.
The Maori name for this tree is pahautea or kaikawaka. There is one other native cedar tree in New Zealand, the kawaka. The two are similar looking, but their range differs. Kawaka is found primarily on the upper part of the North Island down to Northern Taranaki and there is a tiny bit at the top of the South Island.
The bark of pahautea is greyish and appears to be peeling off in long strips. Really, the best way to describe the bark is that it is papery.
New Zealand mountain cedar belongs to the cypress family, which can be found across the world. This is a type of conifer, an evergreen tree that reproduces using cones as opposed to flowers. Some of the other notable native New Zealand conifers include kauri, miro, and matai. It can be often be found in the podocarp/broadleaf native forest.