Kauri is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for a number of extant Malesian kauri . Mature kauri trees have characteristically large trunks, forming a trunk with little or no branching below the crown. The bark is smooth and light grey to grey-brown, usually peeling into irregular flakes that become thicker on more mature trees. The juvenile leaves in all species are larger than the adult, more or less acute, varying among the species from ovate to lanceolate. Adult leaves are opposite, elliptical to linear, very leathery and quite thick. The female seed cones are normally oval or globe shaped.