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New Zealand is one of the worlds richest bio-diverse areas on earth for flora. It is home to a large variety of beautiful plants of which 84% are endemic. The forests range from sub tropical to temperate, evergreen rainforest, and beech forests. Native trees include Rimu, Totara, Matai, Kahikatea and many species of ferns including some giant tree ferns. Other notable trees include, the Cabbage Tree, the Nikau Palm which is New Zealand's only palm tree, and the Giant Kauri, which hold the record for the greatest timber volume of any tree on earth.
Flowering trees include the Kowhai, which has a beautiful yellow flower, plus the Rata and Pohutukawa tree's which both flower each summer with different shades of red. The Rata tree is concentrated in the South Island and the Pohutukawa tree is found mainly in the North Island. The Pohutukawa tree is also known as New Zealand's Christmas tree.
New Zealand also contains large areas of tussock grass in sub-alpine areas. Prominent areas of tussock include the South Islands McKenzie Country and the Central Plateau of the North Island.
Some areas of New Zealand contain introduced species such as California's Pinus Radiata and the Canadian Douglas Fur. Both these trees are New Zealand's primary crop for forestry and they take about 30 years to fully grow, compared to 90 years in the Northern Hemisphere. This is attributed to New Zealand's lush volcanic soil and year round rainfall.
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