Distribution
– Rimu grows throughout New Zealand, including the North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island/Rakiura.
– It is common in lowland and montane forests.
– The largest concentration of trees is found on the West Coast of the South Island.
– A typical North Island habitat is in the Hamilton Ecological District.
Description
– Rimu is a slow-growing tree that can reach a height of up to 50 m.
– Most surviving large trees are 20 to 35 m tall.
– It appears as an emergent from mixed broadleaf temperate rainforests.
– Historical accounts mention exceptionally tall trees, up to 61 m, which are now destroyed.
– The trunk of a rimu is generally 1.5 m in diameter, but can be larger in old or tall specimens.
Uses
– Māori originally used the resinous heartwood of rimu for wooden items such as combs and fernroot beaters.
– Rimu was historically a major source of wood for New Zealand, including furniture and house construction.
– New Zealand’s original stands of rimu have been largely destroyed, and logging is now limited.
– Rimu remains popular for the production of high-quality wooden furniture.
– The inner bark of rimu can be used to treat burns and cuts.
In cultivation
– Rimu is widely grown as an ornamental tree in New Zealand.
– It is attractive at all growth stages, starting as a narrow tree and developing into a broader, weeping tree before becoming upright.
– Garden cultivars of rimu are largely unknown, except for one recent introduction called Charisma.
– Rimu is slow to establish and has high moisture requirements.
– It is known for its golden-foliaged form in the compact cultivar Charisma.
Pests and diseases
– Rimu plays host to the New Zealand endemic beetle Agapanthida pulchella.
– The trunk of a rimu can have descending rātā (Metrosideros) roots. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacrydium_cupressinum
