Closely allied to F. Solandri, but much smaller, with the leaves truly ovate, broadest at the base, and usually acute at the tip. Wood very similar to that of F. Solandri.
Order LXXVIII. CONIFERÆ.
Resinous trees or shrubs, almost always evergreen. Leaves opposite or whorled or alternate, solitary or fascicled within membranous sheaths, rigid, subulate or linear or scale-like, rarely broad and flat. Flowers monœcious or diœcious; males usually solitary, catkin-like, deciduous; females often cone-like. Perianth always wanting in both sexes. Male flowers reduced to the stamens only, which are usually numerous; filaments connate into an oblong or cylindrical central axis (staminal column); anthers placed around the axis, stipitate or sessile; cells 2 or more, either adnate to the back of the connective, or pendulous from its scale-like or peltate summit. Female flowers of one or more erect or reversed naked ovules, without ovary style or stigma, sessile on a scale (open carpellary leaf or carpidium) which is free or adnate to a bract; scales rarely solitary, usually several or many, in the latter case forming a cone or head. Fruit composed of the enlarged hardened or succulent scales or bracts, between which the seeds are hidden; or the mature seed may be exserted beyond the unchanged or fleshy scales or bracts. Seeds winged or wingless; testa thick or thin, membranous or crustaceous or fleshy; albumen copious, fleshy or farinaceous; embryo straight, axile, cotyledons 2 or more, radicle terete.
A large and important order, almost worldwide in its distribution, but most abundant in the temperate part of the Northern Hemisphere; rare in the tropics, except on high mountains; fairly well represented in the south temperate zone. Genera 33; species about 350. Many of the species yield valuable timber. Pines, firs, larches, cedars, cypresses in the Northern Hemisphere; the kauri, totara, rimu, Huon pine, &c., in the Southern, are well-known timber-trees, of great economic and commercial value. The mammoth tree of California (Sequoia gigantea) is probably the largest known tree. One has been measured 400 ft. high, with a trunk 116 ft. in circumference. The resinous products of the order are also of great importance. The most valuable are tar, turpentine, pitch, and kauri-gum. The 5 genera found in New Zealand are all widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of them (Podocarpus) advances as far north as China and Japan.
| A. Female flowers cone-like. Seeds concealed by the overlapping scales of the cone. | |
| Leaves large, flat, oblong. Cones large, 2–3 in, diam.; scales and seeds many | 1. Agathis. |
| Leaves small, scale-like. Cones small; scales 4–6; seeds 2–4 | 2. Libocedrus. |
| B. Female flowers not cone-like. Seed nut-like, exserted beyond the unchanged or enlarged and fleshy scales. | |
| Leaves small, linear and flat or scale-like. Peduncle of fruit, together with the bracts, usually fleshy and enlarged. Ovule reversed | 3. Podocarpus. |
