Dacrycarpus imbricatus (Blume) de Laub. - PODOCARPACEAE

Basionym : Podocarpus imbricatus Blume

Synonym : Podocarpus imbricatus Blume

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Botanical descriptions Habitat and ecology Distribution

Botanical descriptions :

Diagnostic characters : Conifer with resinous exudates. Leaves heteromorphic: young trees linear and needle-like, older and fertile branches scale shaped. Seeds ovoid with a red aril-like (epimatia).
Habit : Large evergreen tree, up to 12 m. tall, about 30 cm. in DBH. Upright single stemmed tree.
Trunk & bark : Trunk straight, cylindrical, branchless up to 20-25 m. tall; bark smooth to scaly, somewhat dippled lenticellate, brown and rugose, inner bark light red with brownish resin, sapwood cream-coloured.
Branches and branchlets or twigs : Branches spreading and the lower branches drooping. Fruiting branches slightly quadrangular.
Exudates : Reddish-orange resin, aromatic.
Leaves : Leaves simple and alternate. Two types of leaves are present: those on young tree or young branches are penniformly arrangement, linear and needle-like, 1-2 x 0.1 cm., glandular on both sides, blade glabrous, margin entire; apex acute; base acute.
Leaves on the old tree or on the fruiting branches are small and scale-shaped about 0.2 -0.3 cm. long, alternate or verticillate, acute at the apex.
Inflorescences or flowers : The female cone red smooth and ovoid, solitary or grouping in 2 at the terminal parts of twigs, but only one fertile. The male cone axillary, about 1 cm. long.
Fruits : Cone, green when young.
Seeds : Seed few, ovoid, about 0.5 cm. in diameter, red with aril-like structure (epimatia) when mature.

Habitat and ecology :

Found in closed evergreen forest, and open degraded Fagaceous and Dipterocarp forests from 500 to 700 m altitude. Usually in small groups of 3-5 trees.

Distribution :

Southern China, Burma (Myanmar) across South East Asia and the Pacific to Fiji, Vietnam and Laos.

Remark/notes/uses :
The wood has a variety of uses: resin harvesting, construction, furniture, firewood. Some area cultivated for ornamental tree.

Specimens studied :
BT 352 and BT 547 (Herbarium of Faculty of Sciences-NUoL, NHN-Leiden and CIRAD-Montpellier).

Literature :
Dung, Vu Van. 1996. Vietnam Forest Trees. Agriculture Publishing House, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Nguyen Tien Hiep, Pan Ke Loc, Nguyen Duc To Luu, P.I. Thomas, A. Farjon, L. Averyanov & J. Regalado Jr. 2004. Vietnam Conifers: Conservation Status Review 2004. Fauna & Flora International, Vietnam Programme, Hanoi.

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