Podocarpus elatus
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Podocarpus elatus |
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Podocarpus elatus is an evergreen conifer from the genus of stone slices ( Podocarpus ) with mostly 5 to 10 centimeters long and 7 to 14 millimeters wide leaves. The female seed cones, which resemble fruits, consist of a podocarpium which is red and later black-blue when ripe, with one or two green and later purple-black epimatiums containing the seeds. The distribution area extends along the east coast of Australia. The wood of the species is very resistant to termites and water-dwelling wood pests. It is therefore used, among other things, for moles and to make boats. The species is classified as not endangered inthe IUCN Red List .
description
Appearance
Podocarpus elatus grows as an evergreen tree up to 30 meters high. The trunk stands upright and reaches a diameter of up to 80 centimeters at chest height . The trunk bark is thin, fibrous and brown. On big trees it is scaly and torn lengthways. The branches are spread out and form a broad, dense crown. Leafy twigs are yellowish green, stalk-round, smooth and finely grooved.
Buds and leaves
The buds are small, conical and pointed, 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long with a base diameter of 0.7 to 1.5 millimeters. The bud scales are arranged like roof tiles. They are usually pressed down, narrowly triangular and pointed, with a free-standing or bent back end. The leaves of seedlings are 2.5 to 6 inches long and 6 to 8 millimeters wide. They are significantly larger on young and fully grown trees, but very variable in terms of size and can be significantly smaller on some trees than on others. They are usually 5 to 10 centimeters long, rarely from 3 or up to 15 centimeters, and usually 7 to 14 millimeters wide, rarely from 5 or up to 17 millimeters, linear-lanceolate and run continuously, somewhat more abruptly with broad leaves, to the base down together. The petiole is about 3 millimeters long. The end of the leaf is pointed, often sharply pointed or more rarely blunt. The central rib protrudes bluntly on the upper side of the leaf and varies in width, depending on the leaf size, up to a maximum width of about 1 millimeter. It protrudes less on the underside. The upper side of the leaf is glossy dark green, the underside pale green. Numerous stomata lines are formed, which are arranged in two bands of broken lines on the underside of the sheet.
Cones and seeds
The pollen cones grow in groups in the leaf axils. They are seated, cylindrical, 10 to 20 millimeters long with a diameter of 2 to 3 millimeters. The microsporophylls are very small, arranged like roof tiles, broadly triangular and provided with two basal, spherical pollen sacs. The seed cones grow individually and axially on thick, 3 to 10 millimeter long stems. At the base of the cone axis, two very small but strongly succulent cover scales 15 to 25, rarely up to 30 millimeters long and 15 to 20 millimeters thick, are formed, which initially turn red and later black-blue when ripe. Together with the pin axis, they form the podocarpium. The one or sometimes two seeds grow at the end of the cone axis. They are surrounded by fleshy seed scales, which together with the seed are known as epimatium. The epimatium is ovate-round with a short beak at the base and an indistinct tip at the end. When ripe, it is 15 to 20 millimeters long with a diameter of 12 to 15 millimeters and changes color from dark glaucous green to purple-black with a whitish tint.
Foliage leaves
Young drive
Branch with cones
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Distribution, ecology and endangerment
The natural range of Podocarpus elatus is in Australia in the east of New South Wales , in the east of Queensland and in the Northern Territory . It extends from Princess Charlotte Bay on the Cape York Peninsula to near Batemans Bay . Podocarpus elatus is the most common and widespread hardwood species of the rainforests of Australia, with the greatest density in New South Wales.
The natural range of Podocarpus elatus is in the coastal rainforests of Eastern Australia with a warm climate and abundant rain. These forests are characterized by medium-sized trees that form entire leaves, by a multitude of climbing plants and sometimes palm trees. In the north of Queensland it is only found scattered in the drier forests. The distribution area is assigned to winter hardiness zone 9 with mean annual minimum temperatures between −6.6 and 1.2 ° Celsius (20 to 30 ° Fahrenheit ). It grows from sea level to around 1000 meters above sea level, mostly on deep soils, on alluvial sands and on river banks. They are found in the hinterland together with the Australian chestnut ( Castanospermum australe ) and Grevillea robusta , closer to the coast with Alphitonia excelsa , Cryptocarya triplinervis , Cupaniopsis anacardioides , Diploglottis cunninghamii and mostly along rivers with the palm Livistona australis .
The leaves contain the hormone ecdysterone , which has an effect on insects , which prevents molting and thus protects the trees from being eaten by insects. On the other hand, the diaspores , i.e. the podocarpium and epimatium, are spread by animals and therefore do not contain any toxins. They are also eaten by humans.
In the Red List of the IUCN is Podocarpus elatus classified as endangered ( "Least Concern"). It should be noted, however, that a reassessment is pending.
Systematics and research history
Podocarpus elatus is a species from the genus of stone slabs ( Podocarpus ), in which it is assigned to the subgenus Foliolati , section Polystachyi . It was by the Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher 1847 Synopsis Coniferarum first scientifically valid described . The description was based on a description by Robert Brown , which, however, did not meet the requirements for an initial description. The generic name Podocarpus is derived from the Greek poús , genitive: podós for "foot" and karpós for fruit. The name refers to the short stalked ripe seeds. The specific epithet elatus comes from Latin and means "tall", it refers to the size of the trees.
Synonyms of the species are Margbensonia elata (R.Br. ex Endl.) AVBobrov & Melikyan , Nageia elata (R.Br. ex Endl.) F.Muell. and Podocarpus acicularis Carrière .
use
The wood of Podocarpus elatus is very durable and resistant to infestation by termites and sea-dwelling wood pests such as barnacles (Cirripedia). It is therefore used for the construction of piers and jetties, for the manufacture of boats and boxes, for carpentry and joinery work and for the manufacture of furniture, in particular garden furniture. It can be polished well and is used to make high quality products that need to last a long time. However, after the original stocks have largely been cut down, the importance as a wood supplier is only minor.
The species is also used in gardens, parks and to beautify streets, but can only be cultivated in warm, temperate to tropical climates.
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literature
- Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers . tape 2 . Brill, Leiden-Boston 2010, ISBN 90-04-17718-3 , pp. 832-834 .
- James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World. The Complete Reference . Timber Press, Portland, OR / London 2009, ISBN 978-0-88192-974-4 , pp. 515-516 .
- Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 , pp. 225, 495 (reprint from 1996).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 2, p. 832
- ↑ a b James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World , p. 515
- ↑ a b c d e f g James E. Eckenwalder: Conifers of the World , p. 516
- ↑ a b c d e Aljos Farjon: A Handbook of the World's Conifers , Volume 2, p. 834
- ↑ Podocarpus elatus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- ↑ Podocarpus elatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on July 1, 2013.
- ↑ Podocarpus elatus. In: The International Plant Name Index. Retrieved June 16, 2013 .
- ↑ Exactly: Etymological Dictionary of Botanical Plant Names , p. 495
- ↑ Exactly: Etymological Dictionary of Botanical Plant Names , p. 225
- ↑ Podocarpus elatus. In: The Plant List. Retrieved July 1, 2013 .
Web links
- Christopher J. Earle: Podocarpus elatus. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, January 6, 2013, accessed July 1, 2013 .
- Podocarpus elatus at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed July 1, 2013.