Common Name:

General Information

Podocarpus polystachyus is an evergreen tree that can range in height from a stunted shrub 2 - 3 metres tall to a canopy tree reaching 40 metres with a slender, buttressed bole 3 - 45cm in diameter that can be clear of branches to 25 metres[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is traded collectively as 'podo' wood, along with several related species. It is often grown as an ornamental.
This species, perhaps due to its very wide distribution, has formerly been assessed and found to be of Least Concern. However, its occurrence in precisely the habitat that is now rapidly being altered or destroyed over wide areas in Malesia, the lowland kerangas forest type, to make way for mainly oil palm plantations, poses a threat formerly insufficiently recognized. It is estimated that the decline will be at least 30% by 2020, with 1980 as an approximate starting point for the widespread conversion of its habitat (one generation is 40 years, the length of the period used for estimating the decline, before that time the species was assumed to have a fairly stable population although there was likely to have been some decline due to human activities in these coastal areas). It is very likely that this species may meet criteria for an even more threatened category than Vulnerable, but more information is required before it can be upgraded. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Found mainly on sandy beaches and bluffs, often on the land side of mangrove at or just above the high tide mark. Also in coastal lowland 'kerangas' forest, and on limestone hills and plateaux inland at elevations to 550 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Based on data from 29 collection localities, Podocarpus polystachyus grows in a region where the mean annual temperature is 25°c, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 21°c (the warmest recorded for a species of Podocarpaceae), and a mean annual precipitation of 2,730mm[].

Podocarpus polystachyus is a highly adaptable species, found mainly near the coast, often near the high tide mark and sometimes even within mangrove swamps on slightly raised, sandy ridges (probably old beaches). Here it is a stunted tree not exceeding 6 - 7 metres in height. On coastal limestone and granitic rocks the trees are gnarled and shrubby, usually not exceeding 2 - 3 metres. A bit more inland, the tree is found in coastal lowland 'kerangas' forest, a low forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen - here it can reach 10 metres or more in height. Further inland, in the interior of Peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines, and elsewhere it occurs in forests on limestone hills and plateaux. Here trees can be taller, with some said to reach 40 metres tall with slender, buttressed boles that can be clear of branches to 25 metres. This can only occur in competition with other tall forest trees, where Podocarpus polystachyus is striving to reach the canopy. It appears therefore to be a highly adaptable species and the nearest to a mangrove-inhabiting conifer in existence[].
Podocarpus polystachyus is one of the few species in this genus that are commonly planted as an ornamental tree in tropical countries, mostly within its area of natural distribution but at least as far away as the Congo Republic[].
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

Where this species grows into a tall tree, e.g. in Maluku [Moluccas], it is a fairly important source of 'podocarp' timber. It has pale yellowish brown, leight-weight wood used for construction, window frames, boat building including masts, spars and oars, flooring, veneer, furniture making and cabinet work, carpentry and joinery, household utensils, matches, and toothpicks[].

This species is one of several that are traded collectively under the name 'podo'. The general description of podo wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is light yellow with a greenish tinge or light golden brown; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is very fine and even; the grain is straight. The wood can vary considerably in hardness and density; it is fairly strong; non-durable under exposed conditions. It seasons well without serious degrade. It is easy to work with hand and machine tools; planed surfaces are smooth and lustrous. The wood is suitable for many decorative purposes, interior finishings, panelling, high class furniture and cabinets, fancy plywood and flooring[].

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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