''Podocarpus costalis'', locally known as ''arius'',dela Cruz, R
Potential food products from "Batanes berries" explored.
BAR Chronicle. Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippines. June, 2012. is a species of

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

in the 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 Pres ...

. It is native to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. This plant grows in island scrub, low forest, or in a limestone bluff or sea stack habitat, growing at elevations from sea level to nearly 300 meters. It is also widely cultivated as a garden plant. It is used in

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

. The fruit is edible. One threat to the survival of wild populations is overcollecting for horticulture; this practice is illegal throughout its native range. __TOC__

Description

''Podocarpus costalis'' is a small, shrubby tree, usually ranging from one to five meters high. It has bud of foliage two to four millimeters long. The plant it is often confused with ''P. polystachyus'' because of the similar habitats and leaves.

Conservation

The plant is endangered largely on account of its minuscule area of occupancy of about 24 square kilometers. It is limited to five islands and localities, and its growth is naturally limited to a specific habitat. It has also become endangered because of continual removal of mature plants for horticulture or as potted plants, depleting its population. The plants have been taken from the wild to be planted in gardens in Luzon and Taiwan, only increasing the rate of removal. Countries with the plant natively have legally protected it, with countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan making the collection of the plant from the wild illegal. Those interested in the plant have been advised to grow the plant by seed to avoid removing any more of the plants from their natural habitat.

References

costalis Endangered plants Flora of the Philippines Flora of Taiwan Plants used in bonsai Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Carl Borivoj Presl {{conifer-stub