Podocarpus gibbsiae

N.E.Gray (1958)

Common names

None recorded as of 2026-01-23.

Taxonomic notes

Type: Malaysia, Sabah, Mount Kinabalu, Marai Parai, "near camp", 1933, J. Clemens & M. S. Clemens 32021 (holotype A, isotypes BM, NY).

Description

Dioecious trees 7–20 m tall with a crown at first conical, later rounded or, more commonly, irregular. Foliage branches spreading to assurgent, bearing distal tufts of foliage; shaded branches with more widely-spaced leaves. Bark smooth, later becoming scaly on large stems, brown weathering to gray. Terminal buds on leading shoots 4–9 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, narrowly conical, with free spreading, acuminate outer scales. Juvenile leaves 3–6(–9) cm long, 4–7(–9) mm wide, linear-lanceolate, straight or slightly curved, acute. Adult leaves densely crowded, much smaller, 1–3.5(–5) cm long and 3–6(–7) mm wide, elliptical to linear-lanceolate, coriaceous, spreading to erect, gradually tapering to a 1–3 mm petiole; apex obtuse to rounded, or slightly apiculate, rarely acute; margins slightly revolute; midrib on adaxial (upper) side acutely raised but fading distally and often collapsing upon drying leaving a weak depression with a narrow ridge in the center, on abaxial side obtusely raised from base to apex; new leaves flushing pink. Stomata very small and inconspicuous on abaxial side. Pollen cones axillary, solitary or rarely in pairs, sessile, elongating when fertile to 15 × 3–4 mm; microsporophylls with triangular apex 0.8–1 mm long, bearing two large pollen sacs. Seed cones towards ends of branches, axillary on peduncles at least 3 mm long; receptacles subtended by a 3–4 mm long bract, ca. 6 mm long when still immature, bilobed. Seeds in mature state not observed (de Laubenfels 1988, Farjon 2010).

Distribution and Ecology

Malaysia: Sabah: Endemic to Mt. Kinabalu at 1200-2400 m elevation. Typically on moss forest ridges, mostly or always on ultramafic soils (de Laubenfels 1988). This forest type has an open canopy up to 25 m tall and consists of a mixture of angiosperms and gymnosperms (mostly conifers); common conifers are Phyllocladus hypophyllus and Dacrydium gibbsiae. Epiphytes, including lichens, mosses, ferns and orchids, are numerous (Farjon 2010).

In 2011 the IUCN determined that this species is "vulnerable" to extinction in the wild because, although it is protected within a national park, the population is already very small and restricted in distribution (area of occupancy ca. 20 km²). The principal threat is a chance occurrence such as wildfire that could be caused by human action.

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2026-01-23.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2026-01-23.

Observations

No data as of 2026-01-23.

Remarks

The epithet honors Dr. Lilian Suzette Gibbs (1870-1925), a botanist with the British Museum who intensively studied mountain floras worldwide, and was the first known woman to ascend Mt. Kinabalu, where she collected the type specimen. Dacrydium gibbsiae is also named for her.

Citations

de Laubenfels, David J. 2015. New sections and species of Podocarpus based on the taxonomic status of P. neriifolius (Podocarpaceae) in tropical Asia. Novon 24(2):133-152. https://doi.org/10.3417/2012091.

Gray, Netta E. 1958. A Taxonomic Revision of Podocarpus, XI. The South Pacific Species of Section Podocarpus, Subsection B. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 39:429. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.01.08.

See also

The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.

Gaussen (1976), p. 173.