About Manoao colensoi (Hook.) Molloy
Manoao is a monotypic genus in the plant family Podocarpaceae. It contains just one species, Manoao colensoi (Hook.) Molloy, which is endemic to New Zealand. Common names for this species include manoao (a name taken from Māori), silver pine, Westland pine, and white silver pine. Before 1996, this species was classified as part of either the genus Dacrydium or the genus Lagarostrobos. It has since been recognized as belonging to its own distinct genus Manoao, though some botanists still place it within Lagarostrobos, arguing it is not phylogenetically distinct from that genus. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have found that Manoao is related to two other genera: Parasitaxus, a parasitic monotypic genus from New Caledonia, and Lagarostrobos, which holds a single species from Tasmania when narrowly defined. The exact relationship between these three genera remains unresolved. Manoao colensoi is a slow-growing evergreen tree that reaches up to 15 m (49 ft) in height. It grows in shady, wet areas of New Zealand and produces fine, straight, durable timber used commercially. In the North Island of New Zealand, M. colensoi occurs from Te Paki south to Mount Ruapehu, but it is only common in the central North Island. It is also found in the western South Island of New Zealand.
