Virginia Tech Dendrology

shrubby yew Podocarpaceae Podocarpus macrophyllus (Thunb.) Sweet symbol: POMA32
Leaf: Alternate, densely arranged and almost appearing whorled, simple, evergreen, narrow lanceolate, 2 to 5 inches long, pointed, distinct midrib, shiny dark green above, paler and bluish below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; not showy, males are pale yellow, erect, slender cones 1 inch long; females are very inconspicuous, occur solitary from leaf axils.
Fruit: Oblong initially red aril, 1/2 inch long, with a large (pea-sized,) protruding, round seed, both seed and aril ripens to purplish blue.
Twig: Moderately stout, green, tightly covered in foliage that spirals up the stem.
Bark: Fiborous and shreddy, reddish brown but ages to a light gray.
Form: A small tree with a symetrical, dense, round crown reaching up to 40 feet in height.
Looks like: fern pine - umbrella pine

Additional Range Information: Podocarpus macrophyllus is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information