{"slug":"agathis-australis","scientific_name":"Agathis australis","common_names":["Kauri","New Zealand kauri"],"family":"Araucariaceae","type":"conifer","mature_height_m":40,"mature_spread_m":15,"growth_rate":"slow","lifespan_years":1000,"hardiness_zones":null,"sun":"full_partial","water":"medium","soil":"Deep, free-draining soils; historically best on river terraces, coastal plains and basalt","native_range":"Endemic to the northern North Island of New Zealand, from Te Paki south to about Kawhia in the west and Te Puke in the east.","description":"New Zealand's giant, a conifer typically 30 to 60 m tall with a smooth grey branch-free trunk 3 to 4 m (rarely 7 m) across and a huge spreading crown. Tāne Mahuta in Waipoua Forest is the most famous tree in the country. Logging and gum digging destroyed most kauri forest, and the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida (kauri dieback) now kills trees of all ages; the species is listed At Risk - Declining and is managed under a National Pest Management Plan.","care":"Plant only within or near its natural range, in well-drained soil, ideally with nurse cover or in a dense grove on good sites. Never move soil from near existing kauri, clean footwear and tools, and follow track closures and cleaning-station rules. Growth is slow; it needs little pruning. Goats and possums browse seedlings.","benefits":["long_lived","carbon","wildlife","birds","shade"],"uses":["reforestation","parks","timber"],"cautions":["pest_prone","large_roots"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/00_29_0496_Waipoua_Forest_NZ_-_Kauri_Baum_Tane_Mahuta.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file 00_29_0496_Waipoua_Forest_NZ_-_Kauri_Baum_Tane_Mahuta.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/agathis-australis/","https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/diseases/kauri-dieback/","https://www.gbif.org/species/5284415"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/agathis-australis","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/agathis-australis.md","regions":[{"country":"NZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Endemic to the northern North Island; At Risk - Declining (2023); kauri dieback is managed under the National Pest Management Plan 2022 with track closures and hygiene stations","source_url":"https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/diseases/kauri-dieback/"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}