Podocarpus insularis

Botanical Description

Podocarpus insularis is an evergreen tree that can range in height from 3 - 39 metres according to habitat. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 24 metres in large trees and around 20 - 60cm in diameter[ 329 Title The Gymnosperm Database Publication Author Website http://www.conifers.org/index.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A vast amount of information on conifers and families of gymnosperms. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for commercial use of its wood. The status of this species will remain difficult to assess because it is not often recognized in the field and our knowledge is mostly derived from herbarium collections, some misidentified. It is obviously very scattered on several dispersed archipelagos in the western Pacific. Deforestation and logging may have had negative effects on the population, but on the other hand many locations appear to be in relatively or totally undisturbed forest. Some of its habitat is less likely to be logged. Its huge extent of occurrence makes it likely that it will turn up on more islands than is presently known. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].