Is that tree a Miro or matai? These two native New Zealand trees are similar looking, but here are some tips to help you tell them apart.
New Zealand is home to a diverse and varied ecosystem. There are beautiful beaches, volcanoes, lakes, and a variety of forests. The main native forests in the country are either a predominantly beech forest or a podocarp/broadleaf forest. The beech forest is (unsurprisingly) comprised mainly of a handful of species of beech trees. On the other hand the podocarp/broadleaf forest is comprised of a much greater number of trees, including the two similar looking miro and matai.
Miro or Matai – How Are They Similar?
Both of these two trees are podocarps, which are related to kauri and rimu. In fact, these two are quite closely related within the podocarp family. Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) and matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia) are in the same genus, which means they are quite similar in appearance and hence can be difficult to tell apart.
Both trees grow up to about 25 meters tall and can be found throughout the country in the broadleaf/podocarp forest. They also both have quite small leaves arranged in rows. However, the following tips will show you how to distinguish the leaves on the two trees.
Miro or Matai – Look at the Leaves
Miro leaves are dark green and grow 1.5 – 2.5 cm long by 2 – 3 mm wide. The tips of Miro leaves are sharp or pointy to the touch. The underside of the leaves are green. One further thing to look for to tell apart the leaves is that miro leaves have a feathery appearance.
Matai leaves are also dark green, but are a bit shorter, growing 1 – 1.5 cm long by 1 – 2 mm wide. The tips of the matai leaves are blunt to the touch. The underside of these leaves are whitish.
Miro or Matai – Look at the Trunk/Bark
One of the good ways to tell apart these two trees, especially if the trees are very tall and you can’t see the leaves is to look at the bark. A matai tree has dark grey bark, but what really gives it away is that the bark comes off in rounded plates, leaving behind a red scar. The way the bark falls off appears that a hammer was taken and hit against the trunk, causing hammer like depressions in the bark.
In contrast, the miro tree also has dark grey/brown bark, but it falls off in thick flakes as opposed to that hammer like appearance.
Miro or Matai – Look at the Fruit
Miro fruit are a purplish/red colour when ripe, about 2 cm long, and elongated like an olive. They take more than 12 months to ripen!
Matai fruit are a bit smaller at only 1 cm in diameter, round, and are black in colour. They also take 12 months or more to ripen.
Miro of Matai – The Juvenile Matai Tree Differs from its Adult Form
Similar to many other native New Zealand plants, matai has a different juvenile and adult form. The juvenile tree has a divaricating growth form. This means that it has many interlocking branches that grow back and forth into each other. One possible reason for this adaptation is as protection from browsing moa. Then once the tree is tall it changes form and grows with a spreading canopy.