Podocarpus nivalis, the mountain or snow tà Âtara, is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Podocarpus nivalis was first described and drawn by W.J. Hooker in 1843 in his Icones Plantarum. The plant described was found on Mount Tongariro, on the North Island of New Zealand, by William Colenso, "near the limits of perpetual snow".
The species name "nivalis" means "growing in or near the snow." A vernacular name for the plant is "alpine tà Âtara".
Podocarpus nivalis grows as a shrub of 20âÂÂ40 cm. with spreading branches. It can also be semi-erect and up to 2 or 3m tall. Branches that contact the soil often root. It forms mats of a few square metres.
Leaves are thick, rigid and close together. They are arranged spirally and are a brownish green colour when they age. The leaves are 3âÂÂ10 mm long and 2âÂÂ2.5 mm wide and boat-shaped (naviculate) to ovate-linear. They may be curved outwards or down. The leaves are obtuse or mucronate at the apex.
This species is found in the North Island south of Mt Hikurangi and Mt Pirongia and in the South Island.
It is one of the hardiest podocarps of the Southern Hemisphere, it has withstood minus 25 ðC (minus 13 ðF) in the British Isles, and survives long periods under snow in its native habitat, close to the tree line in New Zealand's high mountains. It needs high rainfall to grow well.