Montrouziera cauliflora
English: Giant Houp tree.
Region: New Caledonia.
Habitat: moist evergreen dense forest; low and medium altitude, between 200 and 1100 m; all types of soil.
Culture: sacred to New Caledonia's indigenous Kanak people; threatened by habitat loss.
Use: wood as a building material.
Botany
One of the largest trees in the rainforests there; 30 m high; branches protruding horizontally.
Stem: straight trunk, slightly conical, without buttresses, slightly wider base; 3 m in diameter; bark exudes a yellow, thick and sticky resin, with no peculiar smell; bark is dark gray or reddish for individuals in very dense forest, with deep vertical cracks.
Fruit: not edible by humans.