Podocarpus sprucei

Botanical Description

Podocarpus sprucei is an evergreen tree with a bushy crown of ascending, spreading branches; it can grow up to 20 metres tall, though it is much smaller at higher elevations. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 50cm 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. , 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. ]. The tree is commonly harvested from the wild for its valuable timber, which is used locally and also traded. The plant is grown as an ornamental, Overexploitation of this species for timber has been a problem since at least 1945. Selective felling, not only of this species, leads to forest degradation and is followed by the conversion of forest for agriculture and pastoralism. Remaining forests are increasingly fragmented. Few trees remain in Peru, and there have been significant declines in Ecuador The plant is classified as 'Endangered' 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. ].