Podocarpus drouynianus

F. Muell. 1864

Common names

Emu berry.

Taxonomic notes

Syn.: Nageia drouyniana (F. Muell.) F. Muell. 1882; Podocarpus brownii C.E. Bertrand 1874 (Farjon 1998).

Description

Shrub 1-3 m tall, multistemmed, forming clumps a few meters across. Bark thin, fibrous, green turning red-brown. Twigs striate, with a terminal bud 1.5-3 mm wide bearing triangular, slightly spreading scales. Foliage similar on adult and juvenile plants, linear, sessile with a decurrent base, 3-9(-13) cm × 2-4(-5) mm, acuminate, with a raised midrib on the lower surface; green above, glaucous beneath. Pollen cones axillary in groups of 1-6 borne on 10-25 mm peduncles, 10-20 × 2.5-4 mm. Seed cones axillary, solitary on a 10-20 mm peduncle, usually only 1 ovule develops, the receptacle 20-25 × 10-13 mm at maturity, purple, the seed 12-20 × 8-12 mm with its green epimatium (Farjon 2010).

Distribution and Ecology

Australia: West Australia, Warren District (Farjon 1998); this is extreme southwestern Australia. You can create a highly detailed map, and access specimen data, using the "search" function at the Australia Virtual Herbarium.

Occurs in understory of lowland jarrah and karri (Eucalyptus spp.) forests on sandy soils, and spreads mainly by root suckering (Farjon 2010). Based on data from 34 collection localities, it grows at elevations of 120 ±80 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 15.6°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 7.2°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 1011 mm (Biffin et al. 2011, Table S5). One of the most drought-tolerant species in Podocarpus, it is well adapted to frequent fire and resprouts readily after burns (Grant 2024). Zone 10 (cold hardiness limit between -1°C and +4.4°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).

The IUCN reports that the population status is stable.

Remarkable Specimens

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

The epithet honors Edouard Drouyn de Lhuys (1805-1881), member of the Institut de France (Farjon 2010).

Citations

Grant, Simon. 2024. Of Interest – Why is southwest Western Australia so botanically diverse? Bits 'n Bytes Botanical Oct-2024, p. 2.

Mueller, F.J.H. von. 1864. Fragm. 4:86, t. 31.
I haven't been able to find this online, but here is Mueller's 1873 description from the Flora Australiensis.

See also

Species page, including occurrence records and photographs, at the " target="_blank">Atlas of Living Australia, http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:305301#, accessed 2013.11.22, now defunct.

P. 278 in de Laubenfels (1985).

Gray, Netta E. 1958. A Taxonomic Revision of Podocarpus, XI. The South Pacific Species of Section Podocarpus, Subsection B. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 39:444. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.01.08.