This fast-growing, majestic yellowwood with its elegant shape is certainly a tree for all seasons and all gardens. It is an excellent container plant and can also be decorated and used as an indoor Christmas tree.

The new flush of bluish-grey leaves in spring contrast beautifully against the older, dark green, mature leaves. The plant belongs to the Gymnospermae division of seed-bearing plants, differing from Angiospermae by the fact that the ovules are not enclosed in carpels-they are naked. Podocarpaceae is one of only seven Gymnosperm families found in South Africa, and this tree is protected.

Description
This tall, evergreen tree can reach a height of 45 m in nature but luckily never reaching that great height in garden cultivation.

The bark is interesting, being smooth and ridged on younger stems and peeling off in flakes on the older trees.

The leaves are arranged spirally, with parallel veins and smooth margins. The leaf tip is sharply pointed.

Male and female cones occur on different trees. The large, yellow, fleshy fruits take a year to ripen and hang from the branches in clusters.

Natural distribution
This tree occurs from the southern Cape, northwards to the Limpopo and also eastwards to Mozambique.

Name derivation
Podos = foot, and karpos = fruit (Greek), allude to the fruits of these trees being borne on fleshy stalks; falcatus = sickle-shaped (Latin) alludes to the leaves.
It must be noted some schools of thought regard this particular species as Afrocarpus falcatus. More on this topic can be read in Leistner et al. (1995).

Ecological value
Ripe fruits are eaten by bats, bushpigs, fruit-eating birds (Cape parrots, purple-crested, Knysna and Ross's louries, Rameron, African green and Delagorgue's pigeons). The large, dense crown is often a roosting and nesting site for various birds.

Uses and economic value
The wood is used extensively for furniture, roof beams, floorboards, door and window frames and boat building. Some of the famous yellowwood antiques seen throughout South Africa were made from the wood of this specific tree. The straight stems of these trees were once used for the topmasts of ships. The bark is used for tanning leather. Podocarpus falcatus could make an ideal indigenous substitute for the exotic pine trees currently being used in plantations; trials done at a forest station at Magoebaskloof showed that the yield is similar, with the growth rate and quality of the wood comparing favourably to that of commercial pine. The ripe fruit is edible and very resinous. The sap is used as a remedy for chest complaints.

Growing Podocarpus falcatus

Remove the fleshy part of the fruit (cone) to expose the seed. This process is very important as the fleshy part contains an inhibitor, which seems to suppress germination. The fresh seed can be sown directly into black nursery bags or into deep seed trays using a mixture of well-rotted compost and washed sand (1:1). The seed must be pushed and bedded into the mixture and covered with a light layer of soil. The mixture must stay moist at all times. Some of the seed may take up to six months to germinate, so be patient. Seedlings can be pricked out at a height of 50-80 mm and planted into bags or pots. Care must be taken not to damage the taproot as this may slow the initial growth rate of the plant.

References

• COATES-PALGRAVE, K. 1988. Trees of southern Africa, edn 2. Struik, Cape Town.
• VENTER, F. & J-A. 1996. Making the most of Indigenous trees. Briza Publications, Pretoria.
• POOLEY, E. 1993. The complete field guide to trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban.
• LEISTNER, O.A., SMITH, G.F. & GLEN, H.F. 1995. Notes on Podocarpus in southern Africa and Madagascar (Podocarpaceae)..Bothalia 25: 233-236.

Nick Klapwijk
Pretoria National Botanical Garden
November 2002