SERIES 20 | Episode 23
Although Australia and New Zealand are quite close together, their floras have evolved in many different ways. Part of this is climatic because New Zealand is, in general, much wetter than Australia. Another reason is that unlike Australia, New Zealand had no natural mammals. The giant moas/flightless birds were in fact the animals that dealt with eating the plants, and of course birds peck at things, and they have a very different way of dealing with plant material when they eat it, so the plants have evolved in lots of different ways.
A classic example of a plant that's trying to protect itself from bird predation, the Lancewood has long, hard, narrow leaves. It also has a dark brown colour; the theory being that brown is actually quite difficult for birds to perceive. It has a strange form and it grows in a single trunk so that it's not wasting time branching out low down where it's offering the birds something to eat.
This plant will last for about ten years before it suddenly changes into a completely different form. When these plants were first discovered, the juvenile form and the adult form were thought to be different species. Instead of having something that looks like a whole pile of stick insects, you end up with a plant that has a tall slender trunk, and all the lower leaves have dropped off so it's well above the height that a moa could reach. The foliage is shortened and it's also become greener and it's standing up more so the plant can better photosynthesise.
If you decide you'd like to grow one of these amazing plants, they're actually quite adaptable. They just need a soil that's well drained and not too dry and a spot in semi-shade through to virtually full sun. Keep them well mulched and almost anywhere in southern Australia should suit them.