| General Description | A deciduous tree that grows to 20m tall in the wild, with an irregular or rounded growth habit consisting of many slender limbs. In harsh conditions it can also grow as a prostrate bush. |
| Cultivation | Grows in forests, forming pure stands in poor soils with drier conditions. Often forms the tree-line; confined to high ground in its northern range. |
| Notable Specimens | Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, Sussex, England. |
| Habitat | Grows throughout New Zealand, absent from the north of the North Island. Mostly confined to mountains. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Bark is dark grey in colour, remaining smooth into old age or appearing finely wrinkled in a horizontal pattern; specimens usually have rugged ridges when grown in the wild. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Buds are 4mm long, conic and reddish. |
| Leaf Description | Evergreen leaves that persist for 2 years. They are ovate-triangular, pointed tip, apiculate and curved upwards, with the sides of the blade rolling downwards. Leaves are 10-12 x 7-10 mm. Leaf is glabrous and glossy on top, with a paler pubescent appearance underneath. |
| Flower Description | Male flowers appear single or in groups of 3, with 8-14 stamens. Female flowers are glabrous but viscose, orbicular in shape. |
