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Common Name: Alpine Celery Pine

General Information

Phyllocladus alpinus is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 9.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

New Zealand.

Habitat

Sub-alpine forest and scrub, 500 - 1500 metres, on North and South islands southwards from latitude 36° 50's[].

Properties

Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good loamy soil containing leaf mould[]. Succeeds in a good open soil but if it is to thrive it needs copious rainfall, high humidity and warmer conditions than are normally found in Britain[, ].
Plants are hardy but very slow growing in cultivation in Britain[]. They tolerate temperatures down to about -20°c in one report[] whilst another says -10°c[]. A plant at Bedgebury in Kent was 3.3 metres tall in 1985[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Yields a red dye[]. (from the bark?)

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings in a sandy soil in a cool or slightly warm frame in spring.