See the account at Threatened Conifers of the World for a variety of photographs.
Conservation Status
Dacrydium nausoriense
No common names are recorded.
Type: Fiji, Viti Levu, Navosa, Nausori Highlands 6.5 km [4 mi.] SE of Nausori, 1964.10.31, D. J. de Laubenfels P 302 (holotype A00022516). Syn. Corneria nausoriensis (de Laub.) A.V.Bobrov & Melikyan. The phylogenetic position is uncertain; see Dacrydium for discussion. Although both D. nausoriense and D. nidulum are native to Fiji and seem to be fairly closely related, still there is no molecular evidence of hybridization or introgression between the two species (Keppel et al. 2011).
Dioecious trees to 25 m tall and 50 cm dbh, much branched, at maturity with a broad-spreading domed crown. Bark scaly with large flakes, outer bark brown weathering gray and inner bark pink to reddish. Juvenile leaves needle-like, on seedlings and saplings very slender, 10-15 × 0.3 mm, shorter and slightly thicker on young trees, straight or slightly curved forward, spreading at more than 45° from the shoot, keeled on four sides, pungent. Transitional leaves 3-5 mm long may be present on sapling. Adult leaves are on numerous slender, much-branched shoots, decurrent at base, spreading out and forward at ca. 30° from shoot, 1-1.5 mm long and 0.3-0.4 mm wide, abaxially keeled, (acute-)obtuse with incurved apex. Stomata on all sides, on juvenile leaves in narrow grooves, on adult leaves in a few scattered lines, to the apex on the adaxial side, absent on the distal part of the abaxial. Pollen cones terminal or lateral on twigs bearing adult leaves, 4-6 × 1-1.2 mm at maturity, microsporophylls triangular, 1 × 0.7 mm, acute-apiculate, with two basal pollen sacs. Seed cones terminal on long or very short twigs bearing adult leaves, 3 mm long with distal bracts 2 mm long, slightly swelling and turning red at maturity. Seeds solitary, free from leaves, obliquely positioned, covered for basal third by the epimatium, ovoid, 3.5-4 mm long, turning lustrous brown (Farjon 2010). D. elatum and D. novoguineense differ in having a clear, sharp transition between juvenile and adult foliage (de Laubenfels 1969).
Fiji: at elevations of 455 ± 367 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 23.0°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 18.5°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 2624 mm (Biffin et al. 2011).
Distribution data for all species, from GBIF Occurrence Download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.yvmru2 accessed 2025.12.08. D. nausoriense color is dark brown. Click on any point for more info.
Found "in slightly open forest on the leeward sides of the large islands of Fiji and apparently of limited extent" (de Laubenfels 1969). Cited collections include Viti Levu: Nausori Highlands at 580 m and Vanua Levu: Lambassa, Sarava at 120 m elevation (de Laubenfels 1969). Subsequent collections have established that the species uses very specific and highly fragmented relatively dry habitats of limited extent that are threatened by human activities including logging, timber harvest, land clearance for agriculture, hardwood plantations, invasive plants, grazing, and fire. The total population size is at least 3,000 mature plants in at least 9 subpopulations. Regeneration varies from poor to good amongst those populations. There is also a small population at Sarava on the island of Vanua Levu (about 200 mature plants) that has good regeneration but is threatened by logging (Keppel et al. 2015).
In a 2019 assessment, the IUCN determined this species is "Endangered" due to past and ongoing population declines caused chiefly by exploitation for timber. It has a very restricted distribution and the estimated area of occupancy is well under 100 km2.
Ash (1986) studied tree rings and took radiocarbon ages from 3 trees in a stand in the Nausori Highlands of Fiji. Ash (1986) details the many problems involved in attempting dendrochronology using this species; when considering radiocarbon ages, ring counts, and the radiocarbon calibration curve, it is most likely that these trees were about 320 years old when the stand was logged in 1950. The dominant trees when logged were 86 to 93 cm in diameter and had between 303 and 406 rings.
When relatively large trees are found as a component of closed forest, they are subject to exploitation as timber under the trade name "haka". The species is not known to be in cultivation although a few individuals occur in botanical gardens.
No data as of 2026-07-31.
The epithet refers to the type locality, the Nausori Highlands on Viti Levu, Fiji.
Ash, J. 1986. Growth rings, age and taxonomy of Dacrydium (Podocarpaceae) in Fiji. Australian Journal of Botany 34, 197–205. doi:10.1071/BT9860197.
Biffin, Ed, Timothy J. Brodribb, Robert S. Hill, Philip Thomas and Andrew J. Lowe. 2011. Leaf evolution in Southern Hemisphere conifers tracks the angiosperm ecological radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.0559. Data from Table S5.
de Laubenfels, D. J. 1969. A revision of the Malesian and Pacific rainforest conifers, I. Podocarpaceae, in part. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 50:287-289. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2025.12.14.
Keppel, G., P. Prentis, E. Biffin, et al. 2011. Diversification history and hybridisation of Dacrydium (Podocarpaceae) in remote Oceania. Australian Journal of Botany 59:262-273. doi.org/10.1071/BT10181
Keppel, G., A. Naikatini, I. Rounds, R. Pressey, and N. Thomas. 2015. Local and expert knowledge improve conservation assessment of rare and iconic Fijian tree species. Pacific Conservation Biology, dx.doi.org/10.1071/PC14920.
The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.
Back | Home | Contact us
Copyright 2026 The Gymnosperm Database
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
This page accessed on Friday, October 23, 2026
Last Modified 2026-07-31
Back to top