Common Name: Alpine Tarwood

General Information

Halocarpus biformis is a densely branched, erect, evergreen shrub, sometimes becoming a tree with a rounded or flat-topped crown; it can grow up to 10 metres tall with a trunk up to 60cm in diameter[].
When attaining tree-size, the plant produces a valuable wood. State protection of what is left of native trees, however, prohibits felling and so there is no commercial use of its wood at present[]. It is not in cultivation outside a few botanic gardens and arboreta[].
Halocarpus biformis is relatively widespread and frequent. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

New Zealand - North, South and Stewart Islands

Habitat

A dense rounded shrub in open terrain, becoming a small tree in forested habitats, usually in boggy terrain; at elevations from 550 - 1,400 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Pollinators	W
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Often found in the wild in acid, water-logged soils[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The pink-coloured wood with a pleasant, sweet fragrance is dense, fine-grained and extremely durable. It is therefore suitable for outdoor applications of carpentry like garden furniture, but its generally small size and often shrubby habit ensured that, even in the past when natural forest was much more widespread than now, it was not a very common commodity. It was used for railway sleepers, fence posts and some outdoor building applications[].

Propagation

Seed -