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Podocarpus beecherae

Overview

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Critically Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Description

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Family Podocarpaceae

Trees or shrubs evergreen , dioecious or rarely monoecious. Leaves decussate, subopposite, or spirally arranged ; blade scalelike, subulate , or linear to elliptic , stomatal lines abaxial or present on all surfaces. Pollen cones terminal , solitary or clustered in leaf axils , or borne in spikelike complexes; individual cones pedunculate or sessile; microsporophylls numerous , spirally arranged, with distinct adaxial and abaxial surfaces; microsporangia 2; pollen 2(or 3) -saccate in Chinese species, (rarely nonsaccate) . Seed-bearing structures terminal or axillary , solitary, occasionally spikelike, comprising few to several spirally arranged bracts; all or only apical bracts fertile , smooth or warty; basal bracts sometimes fused and succulent (together with peduncle) to form a "receptacle," or obsolete ; ovule (inverted ) or inclined in Chinese species. Seed drupelike or nutlike, wholly or (in Dacrydium) partly enveloped in a sometimes colored and succulent epimatium derived from fertile ovulate scale. Cotyledons 2.

Eighteen genera and ca. 180 species: tropical , subtropical , and S temperate zones, mainly in S hemisphere but extending to montane tropical Africa, Central America, and Japan; four genera and 12 species (three endemic) in China.[1]

Genus Podocarpus

Trees or shrubs evergreen , dioecious. Leaves spirally arranged to subopposite, ± monomorphic , juvenile leaves similar to adult leaves in shape but often larger and/or wider, linear , lanceolate, or ovate-elliptic, more than 5 mm, with single, obvious, often raised midvein on 1 or both surfaces, stomatal lines present on abaxial surface. Pollen cone complexes axillary , solitary or clustered, pedunculate or sessile; microsporophylls numerous , spirally arranged; microsporangia 2; pollen 2-saccate. Seed-bearing structures usually borne in leaf axils (rarely terminal ), solitary (rarely more than 1) ; apical bracts fertile ; basal bracts often fused to form a receptacle (obsolete in some species) ; ovule 1 (rarely few), inverted . Epimatium wholly enveloping seed, sometimes colored and succulent. Seed ripening in 1st year, drupelike, dry, or leathery.

About 100 species: tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, also temperate regions in S hemisphere; seven species (three endemic) in China.[2]

Habitat

Ecology: This species occurs mainly on a steep, open slope on ultramafic rock (eroded serpentine) in low, shrubby vegetation (‘maquis minier’) exposed to the north-west, but is also scattered among trees of Agathis ovata somewhat lower on the eastern side of the hill . It occurs at ca.350 m above sea level.


List of Habitats : 1.6 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland 3.6 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Moist

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : de Laub. Publication : New Zealand J. Bot. 41(4): 715 (2003) 2003

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Farjon A., 11-Jan-2006

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Podocarpus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 39 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. acutifolius (Sharp-Leaved Yellow-Wood) · P. alpinus (Tasmanian Podocarp) · P. coriaceus (Yucca Plum Pine) · P. dispermus (Broad-Leaved Brown Pine) · P. drouynianus (Emu Berry) · P. elongatus (Breede River Yellowwood) · P. elongatus 'Monmal' (Icee Blue® Yellow-Wood) · P. grayae (Brown Pine) · P. guatemalensis (Cipresillo) · P. henkelii (Long Leaf Yellowood) · P. lambertii (Pinheiro-Bravo) · P. lawrencei (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. lawrencei 'Blue Gem' (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. lawrencei 'Maori Prince' (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. lawrencei 'Purple King' (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. lawrencei 'Red Tip' (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. lawrencei 'Young Rusty' (Mountain Plum Pine) · P. macrophyllus (Buddhist Pine) · P. macrophyllus f. angustifolius (Big-Leaf Podocarp) · P. macrophyllus f. grandifolius (Big-Leaf Podocarp) · P. macrophyllus macrophyllus (Big-Leaf Podocarp) · P. macrophyllus maki var. maki (Buddhist Pine) · P. macrophyllus var. makai (Big-Leaf Podocarp) · P. macrophyllus 'Select Spreader' (Buddhist Pine) · P. nivalis (Alpine Totara) · P. nivalis 'Kilworth Cream' (Alpine Totara) · P. nivalis 'Kralingen' (Alpine Totara) · P. nubigenus (Chilean Podocarp) · P. oleifolius var. macrostachys (Olive-Leaf Podoberry) · P. parlatorei (Parlatore's Podocarp) · P. purdieanus (Yacca) · P. salignus (Willow-Leaf Podocarp) · P. spinulosus (Yellowwood) · P. totara (Mahogany Pine) · P. totara 'Aurea' (Totara) · P. totara 'Pendula' (Totara) · P. urbanii (Blue Mountain Yacca) · P. x 'Blaze' (Podocarpus) · P. 'County Park Fire' (Podocarp)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Liguo Fu, Yong Li & Robert R. Mill "Podocarpaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 78. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Podocarpus". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 81. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/22/2012