Difference between revisions of "Podocarpus"

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Podocarpus (Greek, pous, podos, foot, and karpos, fruit; alluding to the conspicuous fleshy footstalks of most species). Including Nageia, Prumnopitys and Stachycarpus. Taxaceae. Ornamental woody plants grown for their evergreen foliage.
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Resinous evergreen trees, rarely shrubs: lvs. alternate, sometimes opposite or 2-ranked, sessile or short-stalked, linear to elliptic, entire: fls. monoecious or dioecious, axillary or subterminal, solitary or in spikes; the staminate catkin-like, consisting of spirally disposed, 2- celled anthers; the pistillate consisting of a scale inclosing the ovule, with several bracts at the base, which become usually much thickened at maturity, and form a fleshy receptacle bearing at the top the globular or ovoid drupe- or nutlike seed: cotyledons 2.—Fifty-five species, chiefly in tropical and subtropical mountains of S. Amer., W. India, Asia, Afr., and Austral. Some species with the fls. in spikes and the fr. without fleshy receptacle are separated by some botanists as Prumnopitys (Stachycarpus). Many species are valuable timber trees in their native countries, and the fleshy seed-stalks of some are eaten.
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The podocarpuses are evergreen often tall trees with usually narrow, rarely elliptic, dense foliage, small flowers, the staminate yellow, the pistillate greenish and inconspicuous, and with rather small, berry-like fruit borne on usually much thickened fleshy footstalks of dark purple or purplish violet color. They are but rarely cultivated in this country and only adapted for the southern states and California, except P. alpina, which is the hardiest and may probably thrive as far north as Philadelphia, or even farther. They grow best in well-drained loamy soil. In the North they are sometimes grown as pot-plants in greenhouses on account of their handsome foliage; a sandy compost of loam and peat will suit the potted plants. Propagation is by seeds or by cuttings of almost ripened wood under glass; they are also sometimes grafted on any of the species which can be had in quantity.
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P. andina. Poepp. (Prumnopitys clegans, Phil. Stachycarpus andina, Van Tiegh.). Tree, attaining 20 ft., with upright or somewhat spreading branches: lvs. indistinctly 2-ranked, linear, dark green above, slightly glaucous beneath, 1/2 - 1 1/2 in. long: fia. in spikes; receptacle not fleshy. Chile. G.C. III. 31:121. J.H.S. 37, p. 52.—P. Bidwillii, Hoibr. P. spinulosa.—P. chilina, Rich. P. saligna.—P. coreana, Hort., incorrect spelling for P. koraiana  Cephalotaxus Harringtonia var. fastigiata.—P. coriacea. Rich. Tree, attaining 50 ft., with spreading branches; allied to P. macrophylla: lvs. lanceolate, acuminate, 2—4 in. long: fr. ovoid. Jamaica, sometimes Cephalotaxus drupacea is cult, under this name.—P. dacrydioides, A. Rich. Tall tree: lvs. dimorphic, on young planta linear, spreading, 2-ranked,
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1/6 - 1/4 in. long, on older plants shorter, imbricate, appressed or spreading: seed ovoid, small: receptacle scarlet, 1/6 in. long. New Zeal. G.W. 6, p. 594.—P. formosensis, Dummer, from Formosa, allied to P. Nagi, but with smaller and thicker, lance-elliptic, obtusely truncate lvs., is not yet intro. G.C. III. 52:295.—P. jamaicensis, Hort. P. Purdieana.—P. koraiana, Sieb.=Cephalotaxus Harringtonia var. fastigiata.—P. montana, Lodd. (P. taxifolia, Kunth. Prumnopitys taxifolia, Mast.). Tree, attaining 60 ft., with spreading branches: lvs. 2-ranked, linear, acute or obtuse, abruptly narrowed into a short petiole: fls. in spikes: no thickened receptacle. Peru, Colombia.— P. Nagi, Pilger (P. Nageia, R. Br. Nageia japonica, Gaertn.). Tree, attaining 90 ft., with spreading, sometimes pendulous branches: lvs. mostly opposite, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, short- acuminate, 2 — 3 1/2 in. long, bright green and glossy: fr. 3/4 in. across, subglobose. Japan. S.Z. 2:135. R.H. 1914. p. 77.—P. pectinata, Panch. (Acmopyle Pancheri, Pilger). Tree, to 60 ft. : lvs. dimorphic, either linear, obtuse or acute, with 2 white bands beneath, about 1/2 in. long, or minute, acuminate, scale-like, appressed: staminate fls. terminal: seed globose, 1/2 in. across, with a thickened receptacle. New Caledonia. B.M. 7854.—P. Purdieona, Hook. Tree, to 120 ft., with whorled horizontal branches: allied to P. macrophylla: lvs. oblanceolate, obtuse, mucronulate, bright green, 2-5 in. long, 3/4 in, wide. Jamaica. H.I. 7:624.—P. saligna, Don (P. chilina. Rich.). Tree, attaining 60 ft., allied to P. macrophylla: lvs. linear-lanceolate, acute, slightly falcate, 3—4 1/2 in. long: staminate fls. clustered, about 1 in. long. Chile, Peru.—P. spicata, R. Br. (Prumnopitys spicata. Mast. ). Tree, attaining 80 ft. : lvs. 2-ranked, linear, obtusish, sessile. 1/4 - 1/2 in. long: fls. in spikes; receptacle not thickened. New Zeal. H.I. 6:543,—P. spinulosa. R. Br. (P. Bid- willii. Hoibr.). Allied to P. macrophylla. Tree: lvs. upright, linear, acuminate and spiny-pointed, midrib distinct above, 1 1/2 - 3 in. long. Austral.— p. taxifolia, Kunth = P. montana.—P. Totarra, A.Cunn. (P. Totara, Don). Tree, attaining 90 ft. with spreading branches: allied to P. alpina: lvs. linear, acute or acuminate, 1/2 - 1 1/2 in. long. New Zeal. ALFRED REHDER.
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Latest revision as of 14:26, 16 September 2009


Read about Podocarpus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

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The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Podocarpus
Podocarpus neriifolius
Podocarpus neriifolius
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Podocarpaceae
Genus: Podocarpus
Labill.

Species
105 species (Farjon 1998); see list

Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m (rarely to 40 m) in height. The leaves are 0.5-15 cm long, lanceolate to oblong, falcate (sickle-shaped) in some species, with a distinct midrib, and are arranged spirally, though in some species twisted to appear in two horizontal ranks. The cones have two to five fused scales, of which only one, rarely two, are fertile, each fertile scale with one apical seed. At maturity, the scales become berry-like, swollen, brightly coloured red to purple and fleshy, and are eaten by birds which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. The male (pollen) cones are 5-20 mm long, often clustered several together. Many species, though not all, are dioecious.

Podocarpus macrophyllus with mature seed cones

Podocarpus and the Podocarpaceae were endemic to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, which broke up into Africa, South America, India, Australia-New Guinea, New Zealand, and New Caledonia between 105 and 45 million years ago. Podocarpus is a characteristic tree of the Antarctic flora, which originated in the cool, moist climate of southern Gondwana, and elements of the flora survive in the humid temperate regions of the former supercontinent. As the continents drifted north and became drier and hotter, Podocarps and other members of the Antarctic flora generally retreated to humid regions, especially in Australia, where sclerophyll genera like Acacia and Eucalyptus became predominant, and the old Antarctic flora retreated to pockets that presently cover only 2% of the continent. As Australia drifted north toward Asia, the collision pushed up the Indonesian archipelago and the mountains of New Guinea, which allowed podocarp species to hop across the narrow straits into humid Asia, with P. macrophyllus reaching north to southern China and Japan. The flora of Malesia, which includes the Malay peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Guinea, is generally derived from Asia but includes many elements of the old Gondwana flora, including several other genera in the Podocarpaceae (Dacrycarpus, Dacrydium, Falcatifolium, Nageia, Phyllocladus, and the Malesian endemic Sundacarpus), and also Agathis in the Araucariaceae.

Classification

There are two subgenera, subgenus Podocarpus and subgenus Foliolatus, distinguished by cone and seed morphology.

Subgenus Podocarpus. Cone not subtended by lanceolate bracts, seed usually with an apical ridge. Distributed in the temperate forests of Tasmania, New Zealand, southern Chile, with some species extending into the tropical highlands of Africa and the Americas.

Subgenus Foliolatus. Cone subtended by two lanceolate bracts ("foliola"), seed usually without an apical ridge. Generally tropical and subtropical distribution, concentrated in east and southeast Asia and Malesia, overlapping with subgenus Podocarpus in northeastern Australia and New Caledonia.

Species in family Podocarpaceae have been reshuffled a number of times based on genetic and physiological evidence, with many species formerly assigned to genus Podocarpus now assigned to other genera. A sequence of classification schemes have moved species between Nageia and Podocarpus, and in 1969 de Laubenfels divided the huge genus Podocarpus into Dacrycarpus, Decussocarpus (an invalid name he later revised to the valid Nageia), Prumnopitys, and Podocarpus.

Species

Uses

Several species of Podocarpus are grown as garden trees, or trained into hedges, espaliers, or screens. Common garden species used for their attractive deep green foliage and neat habits include P. macrophyllus, known by its Japanese name Kusamaki, or occasionally as "buddhist pine" or "fern pine", P. salignus from Chile, and for a small shrub with attractive red "berries", P. nivalis. Some members of the genera Nageia, Prumnopitys and Afrocarpus are also still sold mislabeled as Podocarpus. The red, purple or bluish fleshy fruit of most species of Podocarpus are edible, raw or cooked into jams or pies, and they have a mucilaginous texture with a slightly sweet flavor. However, the fruit are slightly toxic and should therefore be eaten sparingly, especially when eaten raw.

References and external links


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