Podocarpus nivalis is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae

Podocarpaceae

Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....

 family.
It is found only in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It grows in the mountains and subalpine lands from 37° to the far south New Zealand about 46° South Latitude. Up to 5 m tall (16.5 ft).

Cultivation and uses

It is one of the hardiest podocarps of the Southern Hemisphere, it has withstood minus 25 °C(minus 13 °F) in the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

, and survives long periods under snow in its native habitat, close to the bush line in NZ's high mountains. It needs high rainfall to grow well.