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totara (Podocarpus totara)
Photo: no rights reserved (CC0), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

totara

Podocarpus totara · Podocarpaceae · all Podocarpus records · also called Tōtara · Wikipedia

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Form
tree
Region
New Zealand
Rated in
Global; New Zealand
Uses
timber
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Mixed evidence — location does not change the cited classification.
Evidence regions
Global; New Zealand

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Mid-scale / conditional (1)

Listed without a rating (14)
Corroboration (14 rows from 1 source)
  • FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

    14 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.

    • Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND.

      • “ignition frequency (%): 100”

        FLAMITS record 1474; Ignitability measurement.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 506.9”

        FLAMITS record 1668; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 20.5”

        FLAMITS record 1862; Sustainability measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 29.8”

        FLAMITS record 2056; Consumability measurement.

    • Primary study Mason2016: Mason, N. W. H., Frazao, C., Buxton, R. P., & Richardson, S. J. (2016). Fire form and function: evidence for exaptive flammability in the New Zealand flora. Plant Ecology, 217, 645-659.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device muffle furnace; site Mason2016-5; sampling summer.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 214.52”

          FLAMITS record 8488.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 235.1”

          FLAMITS record 8489.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 416.36”

          FLAMITS record 8703.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 391.34”

          FLAMITS record 8704.

      • Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 12.74”

          FLAMITS record 8918.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 14.81”

          FLAMITS record 8919.

    • Primary study Wyse2016: Wyse, S. V., Perry, G. L. W., O'Connell, D. M., Holland, P. S., Wright, M. J., Hosted, C. L., ... Curran, T. J. (2016). A quantitative assessment of shoot flammability for 60 tree and shrub species supports rankings based on expert opinion. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 25, 466-477.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Wyse2016-3; sampling ND.

      • “ignition frequency (%): 100”

        FLAMITS record 14368; Ignitability measurement.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 461.1”

        FLAMITS record 14428; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 13.4”

        FLAMITS record 14488; Sustainability measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 24.1”

        FLAMITS record 14548; Consumability measurement.

Fire-resistant trees instead

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia · ITIS

Podocarpus totara (Tōtara). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/podocarpus-totara/. Last verified 2026-08-23.