Yellow Silver Pine
Botanical name: Lepidothamnus intermedius
Synonyms: Dacrydium intermedium
Common name(s): Yellow silver pine
About:
Lepidothamnus intermedius is an endemic New Zealand conifer of the podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. It is usually a small to medium-sized tree with a rounded crown and often several trunks arising from the base, although exposed plants may remain much smaller and shrubbier.
One of its most distinctive features is the dramatic change in foliage as the plant matures. Juvenile leaves are long, narrow and spreading, while adult leaves become tiny, overlapping and scale-like. The foliage is commonly bright yellow-green, giving rise to the common name yellow silver pine.
Mature trees also develop attractive grey-brown bark that flakes away in places to expose reddish-brown markings, creating a characteristic hammered appearance.
Natural habitat:
Lowland, montane and subalpine forest and scrub.
It occurs in a wide range of cool, moist native habitats, including forest margins, upland shrubland, wet forest and exposed subalpine sites.
In more sheltered forest it can develop into a substantial tree, while plants in exposed or harsh conditions may remain dwarfed and shrubby.
Growing environment:
Full Sun, Partial Shade, Cool Conditions, Moist Soil, Acidic Soil, Wind, Frost & High-rainfall environments tolerant.
Yellow silver pine is particularly well suited to cool, moist climates and is naturally associated with upland and high-rainfall parts of New Zealand.
It can tolerate wetter soils than many conifers and has a FAC wetland indicator rating, reflecting its occurrence in both wetland and non-wetland habitats.
Good drainage combined with reliable moisture generally provides the best cultivation conditions.
Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand.
In the North Island it has a scattered distribution from the Coromandel and Raukūmara ranges through Te Urewera, the Central Volcanic Plateau and Kāingaroa Plain south to the Ruahine Range.
In the South Island it occurs mainly west of the Main Divide, extending from the Kahurangi Range south through the western mountains to Fiordland.
It is also present on Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Height:
Up to approximately 15 m.
Plants growing in exposed or subalpine situations may remain much smaller.
Width:
Usually around 3–8 m across when mature, depending on exposure, altitude and whether the plant develops as a single or multi-trunked tree.
Flowering:
Not applicable in the flowering-plant sense.
As a conifer, Lepidothamnus intermedius produces pollen cones rather than flowers.
Male pollen cones are produced mainly from October to early December.
Fruiting:
February–April.
Female trees produce solitary seeds above a small fleshy pink receptacle.
The dark seeds are dispersed mainly by fruit-eating birds attracted to the fleshy reproductive structures.
Uses:
• Native specimen tree
• Cool-climate gardens
• Montane and subalpine restoration
• Forest restoration
• Wet and high-rainfall sites
• Native conifer collections
• Wildlife and bird habitat
• Ecological revegetation
• Large rock and alpine gardens
• Specialist botanical collections
Appearance:
Growth habit:
A dioecious evergreen conifer usually developing as a small rounded tree.
Plants often produce several trunks, particularly in open situations.
In exposed subalpine habitats the species may become compact, low and irregular in form.
The branching is relatively dense and the foliage commonly bright yellow-green, although some plants may develop bronze or chocolate-brown tones.
Trunk/Bark:
The trunk commonly reaches approximately 30–60 cm in diameter and may divide into several main stems.
Bark is grey-brown and becomes increasingly distinctive with age.
As flakes detach, reddish-brown patches are exposed beneath, giving mature trunks a characteristic hammered or mottled appearance.
The wood is yellowish.
Leaves:
Foliage changes considerably with age.
Juvenile leaves are approximately 9–15 mm long, narrow, linear-subulate and spreading from the stem. They are pointed, slightly curved backwards and almost cylindrical in cross-section.
Semi-juvenile leaves are approximately 3–6 mm long, more closely spaced and broader, with a triangular cross-section. Plants may already become reproductively mature while still carrying this intermediate foliage.
Adult leaves are only around 1.5–3 mm long. They overlap tightly, lie close against the branchlets and are rhomboid, leathery and blunt-tipped.
A prominent keel on the outer surface of the adult scale leaves is a useful identification feature.
Flowers:
Absent.
Male and female reproductive structures are borne on separate trees.
Male pollen cones are solitary and terminal, approximately 5–8 mm long and around 2 mm wide.
Female seed cones are also solitary and terminal and are highly reduced, consisting of a fertile scale with several leaf-like sterile scales below.
Fruit:
True fleshy fruit is not produced.
After fertilisation, the supporting receptacle beneath the seed becomes fleshy and pinkish.
The epimatium forms only a small fleshy cup around the base of the seed rather than enclosing it extensively.
Seeds:
Seeds are approximately 3–5 mm long, black and narrow to broadly oblong.
They are nut-like and end in a small curved tip.
The seed sits above the pink fleshy receptacle and is only partly surrounded at its base by the epimatium.
Birds consume the fleshy tissues and disperse the seed.
Ecology:
Lepidothamnus intermedius is an important component of cool-temperate forest and shrubland, particularly in wetter western and montane regions.
Its ability to grow across lowland, montane and subalpine environments gives it a broad ecological range.
The conspicuous fleshy reproductive structures attract fruit-eating birds, which are important dispersal agents for the species.
In exposed sites, slow growth and environmental stress may produce low, compact forms very different from the taller forest trees found in sheltered conditions.
Hybridisation can occur with the closely related pygmy pine, Lepidothamnus laxifolius, particularly where their ranges overlap.
Associated habitats:
Podocarp forest, montane forest, wet forest, subalpine scrub, upland shrubland, forest margins, high-rainfall slopes and cool exposed ridges.
It may occur alongside other native conifers and upland woody species, including Dacrydium cupressinum, Manoao colensoi, Halocarpus bidwillii, Halocarpus biformis, southern rātā, mountain tōtara and various Dracophyllum species.
How to grow:
Yellow silver pine is best suited to cool, moist gardens with reliable rainfall or irrigation.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in acidic to neutral soil that retains moisture without becoming stagnant.
Young plants benefit from shelter while establishing but become increasingly tolerant of wind and cold as they mature.
It is particularly suitable for large native gardens, high-rainfall districts, upland properties and restoration projects where its natural climatic preferences can be reproduced.
Growth is generally moderate to slow, particularly in exposed or nutrient-poor conditions.
Allow adequate room for mature specimens, especially multi-trunked plants.
Propagation:
Propagation is principally from fresh seed.
Collect mature black seeds when the surrounding receptacle is fully developed.
Remove the fleshy material before sowing and place seeds into a free-draining, moisture-retentive propagation medium.
Germination may be slow and irregular, so seed trays should be retained for an extended period rather than discarded prematurely.
Vegetative propagation may be possible from suitable cuttings but is generally less straightforward than seed propagation.
Cultural use:
No major traditional Māori use specific to Lepidothamnus intermedius is well documented.
Its significance today lies primarily in its ecological role as one of New Zealand’s distinctive native conifers and as a characteristic component of cool, wet forest and subalpine vegetation.
Garden value:
An attractive and unusual native conifer for cool-climate gardens.
Its yellow-green foliage, changing leaf forms, rounded habit and strongly patterned mature bark provide year-round interest.
It is especially valuable for gardens aiming to represent New Zealand montane or subalpine vegetation and combines well with other native conifers, hebes, Dracophyllum, tussocks and upland shrubs.
The species is best suited to larger gardens or naturalistic plantings where its eventual tree form and multi-trunked habit can develop fully.