Podocarpus lawrencei
Mountain Plum-pine
Mountain Plum-pine
Wikipedia links: Gymnosperms > Cupressales > Podocarpaceae > Podocarpus lawrencei
Other links:
Common name: Mountain plum-pine
Also, Errinundra plum-pine and Mountain plum-pine
Conservation status: Least concern
Etymology:
The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, "foot") + καρπός (karpós, "fruit")
Cones and seed:
It has small bright red berry-like cones, with a 5–10 mm long red aril
One (rarely two) apical seeds 6–8 mm long
They are eaten by birds and marsupials, but are toxic to most other mammals (including humans)
Leaves:
10 mm long and 2–3 mm broad
Green, often reddish-tinted, particularly so in cold winter weather
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
Normally low growing, rarely reaching more than 1 m in the Australian Alps
On the Errinundra Plateau in eastern Victoria it reaches 15 m in height
Can live up to 600 years
Habitat:
It grows on exposed sites to 1,800 m, often forming living carpets over rocks through wind pruning.
Distribution:
Native throughout the Australian high country
From southern Tasmania through to the NSW highlands
Additional notes:
Use
The timber is too rare to be used for woodcrafts
Long life and growth rings, make it useful for determining past climate conditions
Cultivation
It is tolerant of quite dry conditions and can re-sprout after losing all its leaves from drought
It survives −16 °C to 45 °C and grows well in full sun or fairly heavy shade
It is slow growing, putting on about 3–5 cm of length each year
It can be grown from cuttings or seed
New foliage is usually a lime green, darkening to olive green as it hardens
Ideally the mountain plum-pine should be grown in full sunlight with plenty of water
It makes a good indoor plant in a bright window
It is an excellent bonsai or hedging plant, although it does require patience
Sources of information: