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Story: Conifers

Tānekaha phylloclades and pollen cones

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Tānekaha phylloclades and pollen cones

Tānekaha and toatoa belong to a group of conifers known as celery pines. Instead of leaves, part of their stem is flattened into structures (phylloclades) that resemble celery leaves. These carry out photosynthesis. Tānekaha is a medium-sized tree of lowland forest. Each spring it forms clusters of pollen cones at the tips of its branches.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10054785

by Dick Veitch

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Conifers – Celery pines, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/12685/tanekaha-phylloclades-and-pollen-cones (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 1 March 2009.