Berries on an ornamental tree in Seattle, Washington [R. Van Pelt, 2005].
Bark on a 20 cm diameter tree in the Los Angeles Arboretum [C.J. Earle, 2009.12.06].
Foliage on a tree in the Los Angeles Arboretum [C.J. Earle, 2009.12.06].
Berries on an ornamental tree in Seattle, Washington [R. Van Pelt, 2005].
Bark on a 20 cm diameter tree in the Los Angeles Arboretum [C.J. Earle, 2009.12.06].
Foliage on a tree in the Los Angeles Arboretum [C.J. Earle, 2009.12.06].
(var. macrophyllus)
(var. maki)
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Southern yew, yew podocarp, long-leaved podocarp, Buddhist pine; クサマキ kusamaki, 犬槇 inumaki [Japanese]; 羅漢松 luo han song [Chinese].
There are two varieties, the type and Podocarpus macrophyllus (Thunb.) Sweet var. maki Sieb. & Zucc. 1846.
Synonymy for var. macrophyllus: Taxus macrophylla Thunb. 1784; Margbensonia macrophylla (Thunb.) A.V.Bobrov & Melikyan 1998; Podocarpus macrophyllus (Thunb.) Sweet var. piliramulus Z.X.Chen & Z.Q. Li 1989.
Synonymy for var. maki:
Var. maki is still widely referred to as Podocarpus chinensis; both names continue to appear in publication. Farjon (2010) regards it as a variety of Podocarpus macrophyllus, differing from typical P. macrophyllus only in leaf width and receptacle color. The molecular analysis by Knopf et al. (2011) considered both taxa but did not provide sufficient resolution to indicate whether they are conspecifics; they simply share a clade with several other southeast Asian Podocarpus. Evidence at this time does not appear adequate to confirm whether this taxon better warrants recognition at specific or infraspecific rank, but in the absence of clear differentiation on morphological, molecular, geographic or ecological grounds, it is conservative to treat them as conspecifics. Other infraspecific taxa have been described, e.g. Podocarpus chinensis var. wardii, but don't appear to be supported by any consistent features.
"Evergreen trees. Leaves alternate, spirally arranged, narrowly lanceolate or broad-linear, acute at both ends, midribs distinct, margins entire and slightly recurved, 8-12 cm. long, 7-12 cm. broad. Dioecious; staminate catkins cone-like, about 3 cm. long, axillary, anthers globose, 2-locular; pistillate flower solitary, axillary. Fruits globose, about 1 cm. long, green or purplish, with fleshy receptacle purplish. Trunk bark grayish red brown, exfoliating in shaggy, long flakes; lenticels inconspicuous; outer barks about 4 mm. thick, fibrous, with a cross-section of brown color; inner barks about 3-5 mm. thick, pink, finely fibrous; cambium and newly formed phloem conspicuous, colorless, somewhat transparent. Freshly cut sapwood pale apricot yellow, wood rays inconspicuous" (Liu 1970).
Var. maki is a tree to 15 m. Branches strong and horizontal; branchlets dense. Leaves are spirally arranged, up to 18×1 cm, bright green above, glaucous beneath, thick, leathery (Exeter University).
China (Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hong Kong); Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku); Taiwan.
Based on data from 52 collection localities, it grows at elevations of 310 ±440 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 18.4°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 7.1°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 2180 mm (Biffin et al. 2011, Table S5). This is the most northernmost of all species of Podocarpus, hardy to Zone 7 (cold hardiness limit between -17.7°C and -12.2°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001). Perhaps for this reason, it is one of the more common ornamental species in the genus and, being bird-dispersed, is prone to naturalize, with naturalized plants common in USA: Florida, occasional in USA: Alabama, and one New Zealand record (iNaturalist data, accessed 2023.01.01).
Var. maki, a collection record: "Locality: Hualien Xian: Fuli Hsiang: Fuli, en route from a rocky camping site to peak of Fenshuilunshan. Coastal Range. 121:18:37E, 23:10:37N. Elevation:760-1367 m. Virgin broadleaf forest dominated by over 20 meters tall trees of Lauraceae and Fagaceae. On semishady forest trail. Tree ca. 3.5 m tall" (HAST 1999).
The species is also naturalized, at a local scale, at warm-temperate and subtropical locations around the world; it is particularly common in USA: Florida.
No data as of 2023.01.07.
Fairly widely planted as an ornamental in warm-temperate and subtropical areas.
See the collection records on iNaturalist.
The epithet macrophyllus means "big leaves"; the epithet maki is a reference to the Japanese common name, "kusamaki".
This is the state tree of Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Exeter University website, formerly at http://info.ex.ac.uk/public_html/UNIVERSITY_PUBLICATIONS/TOUR/conifers/Podocarpus.html, accessed 1998, now defunct.
Herbarium of the Research Center For Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Taipei [HAST]. 1999. Database output at http://www2.sinica.edu.tw:8080/hast/eindex.html, accessed 1999.03.15, now defunct.
Sweet. 1818. Hortus Suburbanus Londinensis, or, A Catalogue of Plants Cultivated in the Neighbourhood of London. London: James Ridgeway. P. 211. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.01.07.
Huang 1994 (the Flora of Taiwan).
Last Modified 2023-02-26
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