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The Totara (Podocarpus totara) belongs to the family Podocarpaceae. It is a tall evergreen tree that is found on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It grows in lowland to montane forests and reaches a height of 20 to 30 m. The trunk is thick, reaching a diameter of 2 to 3 m, and is covered with thick, cork-like gray bark. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, brownish-green, sharply pointed at the tip, bearing sharp spines, and leathery in texture. It is dioecious. From late spring to early summer, it produces small, inconspicuous, greenish flowers. After flowering, it produces cones in the latter half of the year, which turn a vivid red when mature. The tips of the cone scales contain one or two rounded seeds.
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