Bark and aerial root development. Lane Cove National Park, just north of Sydney, Australia [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Prostrate plant. Lane Cove National Park [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Foliage and female strobili. Lane Cove National Park [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Branchlet, foliage. Lane Cove National Park [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Wild plant regenerating after fire. Lane Cove National Park [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Conservation Status
Podocarpus spinulosus
No data as of 2026-01-23.
Syn: Taxus spinulosa Smith (Gray 1958, de Laubenfels 1985), Podocarpus pungens D.Don, Podocarpus bidwillii Endl. (Silba 1986), Podocarpus ensifolia R.Br. ex Carrière (de Laubenfels 1985).
"Shrub or small tree. Leaves narrow-linear, mostly 2-6, rarely to 8 cm long, 3 mm wide, pungent-pointed. Male cones cylindrical, 5 mm long, in clusters. Female cones usually solitary in the leaf axils; scales few, fleshy, combining with the stalk to form a receptacle. Fruiting receptacle blue-black, glaucous, fleshy, bearing 1 or rarely 2 almost globose seeds, 8-12 mm diam." (Harden 1990). See García Esteban et al. (2004) for a detailed characterization of the wood anatomy.
Australia: New South Wales and Queensland. You can create a highly detailed map, and access specimen data, using the "search" function at the Australia Virtual Herbarium.
Based on data from 54 collection localities, it grows at elevations of 170 ±180 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 17°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 6°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 1190 mm (Biffin et al. 2011, Table S5). Zone 10 (cold hardiness limit between -1°C and +4.4°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).
Mostly found "in sheltered coastal sites and gullies on the adjacent ranges; chiefly on the coast south from Woy Woy and valleys of the Blue Mtns." (Harden 1990).
No data as of 2026-01-23.
No data as of 2026-01-23.
No data as of 2026-01-23.
No data as of 2026-01-23.
de Laubenfels, David J. 1985. A taxonomic revision of the genus Podocarpus. Blumea 30:51-278.
Gray, Netta E. 1958. A Taxonomic Revision of Podocarpus, XI. The South Pacific Species of Section Podocarpus, Subsection B. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 39:443. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.01.08.
Mirbel, C. F. 1825. Mémoires du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle 13:75. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2025.02.23.
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Copyright 2026 The Gymnosperm Database
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
This page accessed on Sunday, May 17, 2026
Last Modified 2026-01-23
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