Podocarpus elatus

Podocarpus elatus, known as the plum pine, the brown pine, the Illawarra plum or the Queensland Christmas tree, is a species of Podocarpus endemic to the east coast of Australia, in eastern New South Wales and eastern Queensland.

Podocarpus elatus
drawing by Margaret Flockton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnosperms
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Araucariales
Family: Podocarpaceae
Genus: Podocarpus
Species:
P. elatus
Binomial name
Podocarpus elatus

It is a medium to large evergreen tree growing to 30–36 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves are lanceolate, 5–15 cm long (to 25 cm long on vigorous young trees) and 6–18 mm broad. The seed cones are dark blue-purple, berry-like, with a fleshy base 2-2.5 cm diameter bearing a single oval or globose seed 1 cm in diameter.

Uses

The fleshy part of the seed cone is edible, used in condiments. The timber was prized for furniture, joinery, boat planking, lining and piles in salt water. Podocarpus elatus is an attractive ornamental tree. In older Australian suburbs, the plum pine is used as an ornamental street tree, such as at Baldry Street, Chatswood.[2]

The fruit has been used as a suitable alternative to sloe berries in the production of sloe-style gins in Australia.[3]

  • juvenile foliage
    juvenile foliage
  • Podocarpus elatus trunk
    Podocarpus elatus trunk
  • Podocarpus elatus foliage & naked seeds on fleshy receptacles
    Podocarpus elatus foliage & naked seeds on fleshy receptacles
  • Podocarpus elatus growing in littoral rainforest on sand
    Podocarpus elatus growing in littoral rainforest on sand
  • Podocarpus elatus bark & foliage
    Podocarpus elatus bark & foliage
  • Podocarpus elatus bark
    Podocarpus elatus bark
  • Podocarpus elatus unusually joined seed stems (receptacles)
    Podocarpus elatus unusually joined seed stems (receptacles)
  • Podocarpus elatus seeds
    Podocarpus elatus seeds
  • Podocarpus elatus germinating
    Podocarpus elatus germinating
  • Baldry Street, Chatswood
    Baldry Street, Chatswood

References
  1. Farjon, A. (2013). "Podocarpus elatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2013: e.T42500A2983200. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42500A2983200.en. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. Willoughby City Council, Urban Tree Management Policy, Volume 3, Street Tree Master Plan. June 2014. page 66
  3. "Illawarra Plum 'Sloe-Style' Fruit Gin". South Coast Distillery. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
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