tōtara
1. (noun) tōtara, Podocarpus totara, Podocarpus cunninghamii - large forest trees with prickly, olive-green leaves not in two rows. Found throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. Trees are either male or female with the female producing bright red fruit. Popular timber for carving. The reddish-brown bark peels in long strips and is used for the outside covering of pōhā.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 14-16;)
He tōtara ngā rākau o tō mātau whare nō Tutaemātuatua ngāherehere koia nei anake hoki te ngāherehere tōtara e tipu ana i tō mātau takiwā i tērā wā (HP 1991:12). / The timber of our house was tōtara from Tutaemātuatua forest and that was the only tōtara forest growing in our district at that time.
2. (noun) sea-tree, antipatharian coral, Aphanipathes sp. - looks like a gnarled shrub. Attaches to the sea-bottom and grows to about 1.5-2 m high with branches. The polyps are minute and arranged on feather-like portions. Found at 75-180 m deep on a rocky base.
