Wellington June 5 (IANS) New Zealand on Tuesday classified the kauri tree which is affected by a plant disease as "threatened" along with more than 100 endemic plants in the country.
Kauri trees (Agathis australis) which have a special significance for the indigenous Maori people are among the tallest trees in the world and have an average lifespan of 2 000 years reports Efe news.
"For the first time kauri has been classed as threatened due to the unabated spread of kauri dieback " the Ministry of Conservation said in a statement.
The kauri has been affected by Phytophthora agathidicida a fungus discovered in 2009 that infects its roots and causes defoliation leading to its death.
It falls among the 402 plants classified as "threatened" at the national level - 113 more than the previous classification carried out in 2012 - from a total of 2 785 known species or types of native vascular plants.
The statement said that species in the "at risk" category have increased by 101 amounting to a total of 851 plants.
Around 80 per cent of New Zealand s native plants are endemic and are found only within its territory.

--IANS ksk/vm