Mature rimu (top) and kahikatea (bottom) have scale leaves on their branchlets and produce swollen, fruit-like structures (receptacles) to support and partially protect their seeds. Rimu seeds, borne on the tips of upturned branchlets, take about 18 months to ripen after pollination. Kahikatea seeds develop a bluish bloom as they ripen, some six months after pollination. Birds eat the seeds and fleshy receptacles, and distribute the seeds which pass through their digestive system intact.
Using this item
Reference: 10048396 (top); 10054778 (bottom)
by Don Merton (top); R. Walker (bottom)
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