A larger tree than the lowland neinei, reaching up to 13 metres in height. A tree that grows where the air is thin. It has shaggy, peeling bark and denser pyramids of flowers than its lowland relative. The leaves have smooth edges, distinguishing them from the lowland species which has toothed leaf margins. It grows in montane and subalpine forests, sometimes forming pure stands on ridges near the treeline. A tree that likes the edge. The trunk is covered in thick, fibrous bark that peels away in long, papery strips. The bark is dark brown to grey, rough and furrowed. The wood is hard and durable, resistant to decay. A tree that protects itself. The leaves are long and narrow, up to 30 centimetres in length. They are dark green and glossy on the upper surface, paler underneath. The leaves are crowded at the tips of the branches, giving the tree a distinctive, tufted appearance. A tree that wears its leaves like a crown. The flowers are white and bell-shaped, arranged in dense, pyramidal clusters at the tips of the branches. They appear in summer and are followed by small, dry capsules containing numerous tiny seeds. The forest floor beneath pure stands of mountain neinei is carpeted with the tree's dry, reddish-brown leaves. The leaves are slow to decompose, creating a thick, acidic litter layer that inhibits the growth of other plants. This leaf carpet is a distinctive feature of neinei forests, a red-brown floor beneath a green canopy. The Māori name Neinei refers to the nodding flower clusters. The plant was valued for its hard, durable wood, which was used for making small tools, digging sticks and fire-making. The ridge is exposed. The neinei grows, trunk straight, leaves tufted, flowers nodding. The forest floor is red-brown with its own dead leaves. No other plants grow there. The neinei does not mind. It has the ridge to itself.