Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki

Podocarp Valley

Escape the crowds and find a quiet spot for a picnic among these impressive trees

A small eclectic collection of coniferous trees

Discover podocarps from Asia, Africa, Papua New Guinea, Japan, New Zealand and New Caledonia planted along the banks of a stream. Spot the striking new red growth of the African Podocarpus milanjianus and get to know Podocarpus neriifolius the most common podocarp in the world. Escape the crowds and find a quiet spot for a picnic among these impressive and beautiful trees.

This collection complements other collections of ancient podocarps at the Gardens (Gondwana Arboretum and Conifer Collection). In Podocarp Valley the podocarps are planted with a collection of primitive flowering proteas and restios (also with fossil records back to Gondwana). From the family Restionaceae, restios are architectural evergreen rush or grass-like plants mostly from South Africa. If you are looking for a drought tolerant and low maintenance plant restios create unique rhythm and movement in a garden.

Cultural

The exotic Podocarpus were donated in 1976 by Dr John Hair, a DSIR government scientist, after he completed research on the chromosomes counts of NZ conifers. He’d collected exotic conifers as a comparison after becoming fascinated by the complexities of chromosome numbers in this group. Hair contributed significantly to the chromosome atlas of the New Zealand flora. Joan Dingley, one of the initiators of the Auckland Botanic Gardens, was a colleague of Hair’s from DSIR and this connection was the reason the podocarps came to Auckland.

Gardening Tips for Podocarps
  • When selecting trees for your garden it is important to consider the ultimate size and shape of the tree relative to the space available. Too often healthy tree specimens are removed or severely pruned because they outgrow the space available.
Conservation

Auckland Botanic Garden maintains wild collected podocarps held in very few ex situ collections worldwide, including Podocarpus longefoliolatus which is threatened.

Research

Horticulturalists at Auckland Botanic Gardens are conserving the rare and unusual podocarps in this collection and researching ways to propagate them. For more information or recommendations please contact us.

Accessibility

Not accessible.