178 vascular plant species re regarded as native to the Island and about 1000 of these can be found in the Norfolk Island National Park. The Botanic Garden displays a range of Norfolk Island plants, with special emphasis on the endemic species. Pines as tall as 57m, with an 11m circumference, have been recorded. One of the largest remaining trees can be seen at Hollow Pine in the National Park. It is widespread on the floor of forests.
Flowers are cream, sometimes with a bluish tinge.
Its blood-red sap was used by early settlers as a tonic astringent and for staining furniture and marking convicts' clothing. Convicts apparently used the large leaves to wrap up dough to bake in ashes. The name derives form its hard timber which was used for fence-posts and other purposes where strength was important. The trunk usually grows up to 5m but heights of 20m have been recorded. The fern is in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest treefern in the world.