Through the range of Agathis there is considerable variation in characters of the living tree. Height may
reach 45-60 m and girth 6 m, but some kinds of Agathis probably never reach such huge dimensions.
The bole (Plate 1) may be cylindrical or may .taper(though never strongly) and sometimes has markedly
spiral grain. Sometimes there is a tap root, and several big 'sinker' or 'peg' roots may develop. Buttresses
do not form, but big swollen superficial roots sometimes occur, and sometimes the butt is swollen toa varying degree. The bark (Plates 4, 5) is scaly, the scales being roundish, sometimes compoundly so as to resemble pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They vary in number of layers present together and in thickness, and are sometimes scollop-shaped so rendering the
surface dippled. Surface colour varies from black to
purple through shades of brown to fawn or with a distinctly
orange hue. The crown (Plates 2,3, 7) is monopodial
and narrowly conical at first in all Agathis. The
branches are radial, and may droop or turn up at the
ends, and vary in thickness. In some Agathis they selfprune
(Plates 9d, 11b) to leave a long clean bole which
is silviculturally an extremely desirable trait.