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Podocarpaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Podocarpus lawrencei

Podocarpus lawrencei

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

Superficially similar to Taxus species, but this plant is definitely not poisonous[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Based on data from 79 collection localities Podocarpus lawrencei prefers a climate with a mean annual temperature of 7.8°c, with an average minimum in the coldest month of -2.1°c, and a mean annual precipitation of 1,438mm. It is able to tolerate winter temperatures falling to around -17.7°c to -12.2°c[2]. It can tolerate occasional lows to around -25°c according to another report[1].. Plants grow best in humid areas with high rainfall and mild winters[1]. Plants often fruit freely in Britain[1]. Prefers a position in full sun[3], though plants are shade tolerant, at least when young[1]. Prefers a rich moist non-alkaline soil[4]. Grows best in sheltered areas with a humid climate[1]. The plant is adapted to the poor young, soils of the alpine region and so will prefer freely draining acidic soils but is quite tolerant[3]. In sheltered locations in the lower parts of its range, the plant can become a tree up to 15 metres tall, but at higher elevations it can be a dwarf shrub. An adaptation to the harsh alpine environment is its habit of clinging to and taking the form of exposed granite boulders. This enables the plant to maximize the light and warmth available for growth during the snow free season[3]. Plants can be very long-lived but slow-growing. A specimen from near Mt Kosciuszko was found to be 170 years old but had a trunk diameter of only 6cm[3]. A very slow growing plant, reaching 150cm tall in 50 years at Kew Gardens[5]. It is a good plant for the rock garden[1]. Plants are very tolerant of pruning[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required. Occasional plants are monoecious[6]. Mountain Plum Pine is suitable as a low, hardy shrub in countries with mildly cold winters. It is planted in rockeries or as undergrowth in park-like tree plantings and provides an evergreen, spreading shrub with attractive, red 'fruits' (the ripe receptacles) topped by a shiny, green seed. It is uncommon in Europe, North America and Japan probably because it is not easy to germinate[7].

Propagation

The seed can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil in a warm greenhouse, though it is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe[8]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, mid summer in a frame[9]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Podocarpus+lawrencei>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]The Gymnosperm Database — http://www.conifers.org/index.htm ↩︎A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms.
  3. [3]Growing Native Plants — Australian National Botanic Gardens · http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/ ↩︎A series of articles giving details of cultivation and matters of general interest (including a few plant uses) on over 250 Australian plants.
  4. [4]A Field Guide to Australian Trees. — Holliday. I. and Hill. R. · Frederick Muller Ltd. · 1974 · ISBN 0-85179-627-3 ↩︎A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
  7. [7]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  8. [8]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  9. [9]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  10. [10]Australian Native Plants Society — http://anpsa.org.au/index.html ↩︎A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎