Common Name:

General Information

Podocarpus guatemalensis is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 30 metres tall. The bole is unbuttressed and often somewhat fluted; it can be unbranched for up to 12 metres and up to 70cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber, which is used locally and also exported.
This one of the most widespread species of Podocarpus, with a sporadic distribution from Ecuador in the south to as far north as Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico. It is occasionally reported as fairly common at localities and is known to occur within several protected areas. It has also been reported to be locally threatened by logging and to suffer a reduction of the extent of its habitat from agricultural expansion - it is assessed as locally Vulnerable or Critically Endangered in some countries. Despite this decline within parts of its range, the global assessment is still Least Concern, mainly due to its wide distribution. However, the next assessment could find that this species qualifies for listing in a more threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northwest S. America - Ecuador, Colombia; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala.

Habitat

A canopy tree of mixed conifer-angiosperm forest or pine forest, growing on well-drained sites on hills of metamorphic rocks in Belize, it is also found in swamp forests; at elevations up to 1,400 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A tree of mainly moderate elevations in the tropics, it grows best at elevations above 600 metres[].

Species in this genus are generally slow-growing[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is a uniform pale yellowish brown; the sapwood and heartwood are not separate except in old trees, which have a reddish-brown core up to 15cm wide. The texture is fine and uniform; the grain straight; gum ducts are absent but resin cells are present, giving the wood a finely stippled appearance resembling white pine; no odour or taste is evident in seasoned wood[]. The wood is soft, light in weight, of good quality, durable in contact with the ground where it can be expected to last 10 to 15 years under average conditions and very durable out of the soil[]. It works easily with all hand and power tools; it nails easily without splitting and takes stain, varnish, and paint satisfactorily[]. The wood has proved suitable for the better class of joinery work. low-cost furniture, and for general utility where high strength is not required. It should also be suitable for boxes, crates, interior work, concrete forms, and many other purposes for which pine is used. Because of its low shrinkage, stability, close straight grain, and good machining characteristics, podocarp should be very suitable for patternmaking[].

Propagation

The seed can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil, though it is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.
Cuttings of half-ripe terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, in a frame[].

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