''Podocarpus aristulatus'' is a small to medium-sized

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the conifer family

Podocarpaceae Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

. It is found on the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Description

''Podocarpus aristulatus'' grows to 10–20 m tall. The leaves are elliptical to linear, 2–4 cm long and 5–8 mm broad, arranged spirally on the shoots. The

seed cones A conifer cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants. It is usually woody, ovoid to globular, including scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, especially in conifers an ...

are berry-like, with fleshy red receptacle and one (occasionally two) apical

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s 7–10 mm long.

Uses

In the mountainous regions of the central Dominican Republic, where it is known as "palo de cruz" (or wood of the cross), it is used for axe handles and pestles, because of the durable quality of the wood. Its leaves are used for medicinal teas. As part of the religious beliefs of the area, small pieces are placed above the door frame on the inside of houses as a way of warding off evil spirits.

Synonymy

Synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

: ''Nageia aristulata'', ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' var. ''aristulatus'', ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' var. ''wrightii'', ''Podocarpus buchii'', ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' subsp. ''buchii'', ''Podocarpus leonii'', ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' var. ''leonii'', ''Podocarpus victorinianus'', ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' subsp. ''buchii'' var. ''latifolius''.

References

aristulatus Trees of Cuba Trees of the Dominican Republic Trees of Haiti Medicinal plants of North America {{conifer-stub