''Podocarpus'' () is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

conifers Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the

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 ...

. ''Podocarpus'' species are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s or

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The

cones In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

have two to five fused cone scales, which form a fleshy,

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

-like, brightly coloured receptacle at maturity. The fleshy cones attract

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s, which then eat the cones and disperse the seeds in their droppings. ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

'' accepts 116 species. Other authorities place 97 to 107 species in the genus depending on the

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: * Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthr ...

of the species.Earle, Chris J.
''Podocarpus''.
The Gymnosperm Database. 2013. Species are cultivated as ornamental plants for parks and large gardens. The

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

'County Park Fire' has won the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Etymology

The name comes from Greek ''poús'' meaning "foot" and ''karpós'' meaning "fruit".

Names

Common names for various species include "yellowwood" and "pine", as in the plum pine (''

Podocarpus elatus ''Podocarpus elatus'', known as the plum pine, the brown pine, the Illawarra plum or the Queensland Christmas tree, is a species of ''Podocarpus'' endemic to the east coast of Australia, in eastern New South Wales and eastern Queensland. It is a ...

'') or the Buddhist pine (''

Podocarpus macrophyllus ''Podocarpus macrophyllus'' is a conifer in the genus ''Podocarpus'', family Podocarpaceae. It is the northernmost species of the genus, native to southern Japan and southern and eastern China. Common names in English include yew plum pine, Buddh ...

'').

Description

''Podocarpus'' species are

woody plants. They are generally trees, but may also be shrubs. The trees can reach a height of at their tallest. Some shrubby species have a decumbent growth habit. The primary

branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

es form pseudowhorls around the trunk. The bark can be scaly or fibrous and peeling with vertical strips. Terminal

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or Plant embryogenesis, embryonic Shoot (botany), shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a Plant stem, stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormancy, dormant conditi ...

s are distinctive with bud scales that are often imbricate and can be spreading. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are simple and flattened, and may be sessile or short petiolate. The

phyllotaxis In botany, phyllotaxis () or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaf, leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. Leaf arrangement The basic leaf#Arrangement on the stem, arrangements of leaves ...

or leaf arrangement is spiral, and may be subopposite on some shoots. The leaves are usually linear-lanceolate or linear-elliptic in shape, though they can be broader lanceolate, ovate, or nearly elliptic in some species. Juvenile leaves are often larger than adult leaves, though similar in shape. The leaves are coriaceous and have a distinct midrib. The

stoma In botany, a stoma (: stomata, from Greek language, Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth"), also called a stomate (: stomates), is a pore found in the Epidermis (botany), epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exc ...

ta are usually restricted to the abaxial or underside of the leaf, forming two stomatal bands around the midrib. ''Podocarpus'' spp. are generally

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

, with the male pollen cones and female seed cones borne on separate individual plants, but some species may be

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system comparable with gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy, and contras ...

. The

develop from

axillary bud The axillary bud (or lateral bud) is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic or Organogenesis#Plant organogenesis, organogenic Shoot (botany), shoot located in the axil of a leaf. Each bud has the potential to form shoots, and may be specialized in prod ...

s, and may be solitary or form clusters. The pollen cones are long and

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind- pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arra ...

-like in shape. They may be sessile or short pedunculate. A pollen cone consists of a slender rachis with numerous spirally arranged microsporophylls around it. Each triangular microsporophyll has two basal

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

-producing pollen sacs. The pollen is bisaccate. The seed cones are highly modified with the few cone scales swelling and fusing at maturity. The cones are pedunculate and often solitary. The seed cone consists of two to five cone scales of which only the uppermost one or rarely two nearest the apex of the cone are fertile. Each fertile scale usually has one apical ovule. The infertile basal scales fuse and swell to form a succulent, usually brightly colored receptacle. Each cone generally has only one

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

, but may have two or rarely more. The seed is attached to the apex of the receptacle. The seed is entirely covered by a fleshy modified scale known as an epimatium. The epimatium is usually green, but may be bluish or reddish in some species. Podocarpus henkelii 2.jpg, Leaves of ''P. henkelii'' Podocarpus macrophyllus flower.jpg, Male cones of ''P. macrophyllus'' grow in clusters. PodocarpusTotara.jpg, A seed cone of ''P. totara'' showing a red receptacle and a green epimatium Podocarpus elatus on sand.JPG, A seedling of ''P. elatus''

Distribution

The natural distribution of the genus consists of much of Africa, Asia, Australia, Central and South America, and several South Pacific islands. The genus occurs from southern Chile north to Mexico in the Americas and from New Zealand north to Japan in the Asia-Pacific region. ''Podocarpus'' and the Podocarpaceae were

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the ancient supercontinent of

Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...

, which broke up into

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, Australia-New Guinea,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

between 105 and 45 million years ago. ''Podocarpus'' is a characteristic tree of the

Antarctic flora Antarctic flora are a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana. In 2025, species of Antarctica flora reside on several now separated areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including ...

, 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 Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...

genera such as ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'' and ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

'' became predominant. The flora of

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, which includes the

Malay peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

, Indonesia, 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 New Guinea, is generally derived from Asia, but includes many elements of the old Gondwana flora, including several other genera in the Podocarpaceae (''

Dacrycarpus ''Dacrycarpus'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the Family (biology), family Podocarpaceae.Christopher N. Page. 1990. "Podocarpaceae" pages 332-346. In: Klaus Kubitzki (general editor); Karl U. Kramer and Peter S. Green (volume editors) ''The ...

Dacrydium ''Dacrydium'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. Sixteen species of evergreen Plant sexuality, dioecious trees and shrubs are presently recognized. The genus was first described by Solander in 1786, and former ...

Falcatifolium ''Falcatifolium'' is a genus of conifers of the family Podocarpaceae. The genus includes evergreen dioecious shrubs and large trees of up to . Five species are presently recognized. The genus was first described by de Laubenfels in 1969, and is ...

Nageia ''Nageia'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae.Christopher N. Page. 1990. "Podocarpaceae" pages 332-346. In: Klaus Kubitzki (general editor); Karl U. Kramer and Peter S. Green (volume editors) ''The Families and ...

Phyllocladus ''Phyllocladus'', the celery pines, is a small genus of conifers, now usually placed in the family Podocarpaceae.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Timber Press: Portland, OR, USA. .'' ''Species occur mainly in New Zealand, ...

,'' and the Malesian endemic ''

Sundacarpus ''Sundacarpus'' is a genus of conifers containing a single species ''Sundacarpus amarus'', belonging to the family Podocarpaceae. ''Sundacarpus'' was designated a genus by C.N.Page in 1989; formerly it had been classified variously as a species ...

''), and also ''

Agathis ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside ''Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

'' in the

Araucariaceae Araucariaceae is a Family (biology), family of conifers with three living Genus, genera, ''Araucaria'', ''Agathis'', and ''Wollemia''. While the family's native distribution is now largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, except for a few spe ...

Classification

The two subgenera, ''Podocarpus'' and ''Foliolatus'', are distinguished by cone and seed morphology. In ''Podocarpus'', the cone is not subtended by lanceolate bracts, and the seed usually has an apical ridge. Species are distributed in the temperate forests of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, and southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, with a few occurring in the tropical highlands of Africa and the Americas. In ''Foliolatus'', the cone is subtended by two lanceolate bracts ("foliola"), and the seed usually lacks an apical ridge. The species are tropical and subtropical, concentrated in eastern and southeastern Asia and Malesia, overlapping with subgenus ''Podocarpus'' in northeastern Australia and

. Species in family Podocarpaceae have been reshuffled a number of times based on genetic and physiological evidence, with many species formerly assigned to ''Podocarpus'' now assigned to other genera. A sequence of classification schemes has moved species between ''

'' and ''Podocarpus'', and in 1969, de Laubenfels divided the huge genus ''Podocarpus'' into ''Dacrycarpus, Decussocarpus'' (an invalid name he later revised to the valid ''

''), ''

Prumnopitys ''Prumnopitys'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the family Podocarpaceae. It includes three species of densely branched, Plant sexuality, dioecious evergreen trees up to 40 metres in height, native to South America and New Zealand. Etymol ...

'', and ''Podocarpus''. Some species of genus ''

Afrocarpus ''Afrocarpus'' is a genus of conifer of the family Podocarpaceae. Five species are recognized. They are evergreen trees native to Africa. ''Afrocarpus'' was designated a genus in 1989, when several species formerly classified in ''Podocarpus'' an ...

'' were formerly in ''Podocarpus'', such as '' Afrocarpus gracilior''.

Species

In 1985 David J. de Laubenfels divided the genus into two subgenera, ''Podocarpus'' and ''Foliolatus'', and further divided each subgenus into nine sections.de Laubenfels, D. J. (1985). A taxonomic revision of the genus Podocarpus. ''Blumea'' 30: 251–278. Robert Reid Mill wrote (2015) that while the two subgenera have been strongly supported by subsequent evidence, the sections are "mostly are poorly supported by molecular evidence". In 2015 de Laubenfels revised the sections of subgenus ''Foliolatus''.David J. de Laubenfels "New Sections and Species of ''Podocarpus'' Based on the Taxonomic Status of ''P. neriifolius'' (Podocarpaceae) in Tropical Asia", ''Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature'' 24(2), 133–152, (22 September 2015). https://doi.org/10.3417/2012091 * Subgenus ''Podocarpus'' ** section ''Podocarpus'' (eastern and southern

) *** ''

Podocarpus elongatus ''Podocarpus elongatus'', the Breede River yellowwood, is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. In contrast to other yellowwood species of southern Africa, ''Podocarpus elongatus'' often resembles an enormous, round, multi-stemmed bu ...

'' *** ''

Podocarpus latifolius ''Podocarpus latifolius'' (real yellowwood, broad-leaved yellowwood, or South African yellowwood, , , , ) is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podocarpaceae; it is the type species of t ...

'' *** ''

Podocarpus milanjianus ''Podocarpus milanjianus'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the highlands and mountains of tropical Africa. Description ''Podocarpus milanjianus'' is an evergreen tree which can grow slowly up to 35 meters in ...

'' ** section ''Scytopodium'' (

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, eastern Africa) *** '' Podocarpus capuronii'' *** '' Podocarpus henkelii'' *** '' Podocarpus humbertii'' *** '' Podocarpus madagascariensis'' *** '' Podocarpus perrieri'' *** '' Podocarpus rostratus'' ** section ''Australis'' (southeast

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, southern

) *** '' Podocarpus acutifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus gnidioides'' *** '' Podocarpus laetus'' *** '' Podocarpus lawrencii'' (synonym ''Podocarpus alpinus'' ) *** '' Podocarpus × loderi'' (''P. laetus'' × ''P. totara'') *** '' Podocarpus nivalis'' *** ''

Podocarpus nubigenus ''Podocarpus nubigenus'' (also known as ''P. nubigena'') is a species of podocarp, endemic to the Valdivian temperate forests of southern Chile and adjacent southwestern Argentina. It is the southernmost podocarp in the world. It grows from 38 ...

'' *** ''

Podocarpus totara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at ...

'' ** section ''Crassiformis'' (northeast

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

) *** '' Podocarpus smithii'' ** section ''Capitulatis'' (central Chile, southern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

from northern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

) *** '' Podocarpus aracensis'' *** '' Podocarpus glomeratus'' *** '' Podocarpus lambertii'' *** '' Podocarpus parlatorei'' *** '' Podocarpus salignus'' *** ''

Podocarpus sellowii ''Podocarpus sellowii'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found only in Brazil. Description ''Podocarpus sellowii'' grows as a small tree. Lichens and mosses grow Epiphyte, epiphytically on the tree. Distribution and h ...

'' *** '' Podocarpus sprucei'' *** '' Podocarpus transiens'' **section ''Pratensis'' (southeast

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

) *** '' Podocarpus oleifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus pendulifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus tepuiensis'' **section ''Lanceolatis'' (southern Mexico,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

to highland

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

) *** '' Podocarpus coriaceus'' *** ''

Podocarpus matudae ''Podocarpus matudae'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. Description ''Podocarpus matudae'' can form large trees growing to 30 m or more in height, with a trunk diame ...

'' *** '' Podocarpus rusbyi'' *** '' Podocarpus salicifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus steyermarkii'' **section ''Pumilis'' (southern

Caribbean islands Most of the Caribbean countries are islands in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest islands include Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Some of the smaller islands are referred to as a ''rock'' or ''reef.'' ''I ...

and

Guiana Highlands The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

) *** ''

Podocarpus angustifolius ''Podocarpus angustifolius'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemism, endemic to Cuba. This is a shrub or tree growing up to 12 meters tall. It grows in mountain pine forests and rainforests on the eastern end of the ...

'' *** '' Podocarpus aristulatus'' *** '' Podocarpus buchii'' *** ''

Podocarpus ekmanii ''Podocarpus ekmannii'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a shrub or tree endemic to eastern Cuba. It is locally known as ''sabina cimarrona''. It generally a shrub growing 3 to 6 meters tall, and occasionally a small tr ...

'' *** '' Podocarpus hispaniolensis'' *** '' Podocarpus roraimae'' (synonym ''Podocarpus buchholzii'' ) *** '' Podocarpus urbanii'' *** '' Podocarpus victorinianus'' **section ''Nemoralis'' (central and northern

, south to Bolivia) *** '' Podocarpus acuminatus'' *** '' Podocarpus brasiliensis'' *** '' Podocarpus celatus'' *** '' Podocarpus costaricensis'' *** '' Podocarpus guatemalensis'' *** '' Podocarpus magnifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus purdieanus'' *** '' Podocarpus trinitensis'' * Subgenus ''Foliolatus'' ** section ''Acuminatus'' (Sikkim, India to

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, New Guinea,

New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...

, and northern Queensland) *** '' Podocarpus dispermus'' *** '' Podocarpus hookeri'' *** ''

Podocarpus ledermannii ''Podocarpus ledermannii'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found on New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. ''Podocarpus ledermannii'' is found in lowland and montane rain forests, fr ...

'' (section type) *** '' Podocarpus marginalis'' *** '' Podocarpus micropedunculatus'' ** section ''Bracteatus'' (Sumatra to Fiji) *** '' Podocarpus atjehensis'' *** '' Podocarpus bracteatus'' *** '' Podocarpus confertus'' *** '' Podocarpus degeneri'' *** '' Podocarpus pseudobracteatus'' ** section ''Foliolatus'' (

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, the

, and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

) *** '' Podocarpus idenburgensis'' *** '' Podocarpus insularis'' *** ''

Podocarpus neolinearis ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. ''Podocarpus'' species are evergreen shrubs or trees, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The cones have two t ...

'' (syn. ''Podocarpus linearis'' ) *** '' Podocarpus neglectus'' *** ''

Podocarpus neriifolius ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. ''Podocarpus'' species are evergreen shrubs or trees, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The cones have two t ...

'' (section type) *** '' Podocarpus pallidus'' *** '' Podocarpus rubens'' (synonym ''Podocarpus indonesiensis'' ) *** ''

Podocarpus vanuatuensis ''Podocarpus vanuatuensis'' is a species of conifer in the podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. It is a small tree, up to 8 meters tall, which is endemic to Vanuatu.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 ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, Sumatra and Borneo, and New Caledonia) *** '' Podocarpus annamiensis'' *** '' Podocarpus beecherae'' (section type) *** '' Podocarpus globulus'' *** '' Podocarpus lucienii'' *** '' Podocarpus nakaii'' *** '' Podocarpus oblongus'' *** '' Podocarpus sylvestris'' (syn. ''Podocarpus colliculatus'' ) *** '' Podocarpus teysmannii'' (syn. ''Podocarpus epiphyticus'' ) **section ''Longifoliolatus'' (Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra east to

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

) *** '' Podocarpus decipiens'' *** '' Podocarpus decumbens'' *** '' Podocarpus deflexus'' *** '' Podocarpus levis'' *** '' Podocarpus longifoliolatus'' (section type) *** '' Podocarpus novoguineensis'' *** '' Podocarpus polyspermus'' *** ''

Podocarpus salomoniensis ''Podocarpus salomoniensis'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found only in Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and p ...

'' **section ''Gracilis'' (southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, across Malesia to Fiji) *** '' Podocarpus affinis'' *** '' Podocarpus glaucus'' *** '' Podocarpus pilgeri'' *** '' Podocarpus ramosii'' ** section ''Macrostachyus'' (Eastern India to New Guinea) *** '' Podocarpus archboldii'' (syn. ''Podocarpus crassigemmis'' ) (section type) *** '' Podocarpus brassii'' *** '' Podocarpus brevifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus lenticularis'' *** '' Podocarpus palawanensis'' ** section ''Rumphius'' (

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

, south through Malesia to northern Queensland) *** '' Podocarpus grayae'' (aka ''P. grayii'' and ''P. grayi'') *** ''

Podocarpus laubenfelsii ''Podocarpus laubenfelsii'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to Borneo. This plant grows in four known locations and there are few mature trees in any subpopulation. It grows alongside ''Agathis borneensis'', ''N ...

'' *** '' Podocarpus rumphii'' ** section ''Polystachyus'' (southern China and Japan, through Malaya to New Guinea and northeast Australia) *** '' Podocarpus chingianus'' *** ''

'' *** '' Podocarpus fasciculus'' *** '' Podocarpus macrocarpus'' *** ''

'' **** ''Podocarpus macrophyllus'' var. ''macrophyllus'' **** ''Podocarpus macrophyllus'' var. ''maki'' (syn. ''Podocarpus chinensis'' ) *** '' Podocarpus polystachyus'' *** '' Podocarpus ridleyi'' *** '' Podocarpus subtropicalis'' ** section ''Spathoides'' (southern China to New Caledonia) *** '' Podocarpus borneensis'' *** '' Podocarpus costalis'' *** '' Podocarpus forrestii'' *** '' Podocarpus gibbsiae'' *** '' Podocarpus laminaris'' *** '' Podocarpus lophatus'' *** '' Podocarpus novae-caledoniae'' *** '' Podocarpus orarius'' *** '' Podocarpus spathoides'' *** '' Podocarpus thevetiifolius'' *** '' Podocarpus tixieri'' ** section ''Spinulosus'' (southeast and southwest coasts of Australia) *** '' Podocarpus drouynianus'' *** '' Podocarpus spinulosus''

Allergenic potential

Male ''Podocarpus'' spp. are extremely allergenic, and have an

OPALS Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide, silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% and 10%. Due to the amorphous (chemical) physical structure, it is classified as a ...

allergy-scale rating of 10 out of 10. Conversely, completely female ''Podocarpus'' plants have an OPALS rating of 1, and are considered "allergy-fighting", as they capture pollen while producing none. ''Podocarpus'' resemble

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus '' Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew ('' Taxus ...

s, and as with yews, the stems, leaves, flowers, and pollen of ''Podocarpus'' are all poisonous. Additionally, the leaves, stems, bark, and pollen are

cytotoxic Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are toxic metals, toxic chemicals, microbe neurotoxins, radiation particles and even specific neurotransmitters when the system is out of balance. Also some types of dr ...

. The male ''Podocarpus'' blooms and releases this cytotoxic pollen in the spring and early summer.

Uses

The earliest use of ''P. elongatus'' dates back to the southern African

Middle Stone Age The Middle Stone Age (or MSA) was a period of African prehistory between the Early Stone Age and the Late Stone Age. It is generally considered to have begun around 280,000 years ago and ended around 50–25,000 years ago. The beginnings of ...

where it was used to produce an adhesive by distillation. Today, several species of ''Podocarpus'' are grown as garden trees, or trained into hedges, espaliers, or screens. In the novel ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...

'' by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

, ''Podocarpus'' trees (misspelled as "protocarpus") were used on Isla Nublar, Costa Rica, to conceal electric fences from visitors. Common garden species used for their attractive deep-green foliage and neat habits include ''P. macrophyllus'', known commonly as Buddhist pine, fern pine, or ''kusamaki'', ''P. salignus'' from Chile, and ''P. nivalis'', a smaller, red-fleshy-coned shrub. Some members of the genera ''Nageia'', ''Prumnopitys'', and ''

'' are marketed under the genus name ''Podocarpus''. The red, purple, or bluish fleshy cone (popularly called a "fruit") of most species of ''Podocarpus'' are edible, raw or cooked into jams or pies. They have a mucilaginous texture with a slightly sweet flavor. They are slightly toxic, so should be eaten only in small amounts, especially when raw. Some species of ''Podocarpus'' are used in systems of

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

for conditions such as

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

cough A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages which can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and Microorganism, microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex fol ...

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

sexually transmitted disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

s, and

canine distemper Canine distemper (CDV) (sometimes termed "footpad disease") is a viral disease that affects a wide variety of mammal families, including domestic and wild species of dogs, coyotes, foxes, pandas, wolves, ferrets, skunks, raccoons, and felin ...

Etymology

Names

Description

Distribution

Classification

Species

Allergenic potential

Uses

References

Further reading