Prumnopitys andina
Encyclopedia
Prumnopitys andina the Chilean plum yew, is an evergreen
coniferous
tree
native to south-central Chile
and a few areas in adjacent parts of westernmost Argentina
from 36 to 40° South latitude. It lives on moderately wet soils preferable on Andean slopes from 500–1100 meters (1600–3500 ft).
It grows up to 30 m (100 ft) high, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter (6.5 ft). The leaves
are linear to sickle-shaped, 15–30 mm long and 2 mm broad. The seed cones
are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 2–4 cm long bearing 1-4 scales, each scale maturing berry-like, oval, 10–15 mm long and 10 mm broad, green maturing dark purple, with a soft edible pulp covering the single seed
. The seeds are dispersed by bird
s, which eat the 'berries' and pass the seeds in their droppings. Seeds are very difficult to germinate. Straight and cylindrical trunk. Gray and shine bark.
Before the genus Prumnopitys
was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus
as Podocarpus andinus. It has also been treated by some botanists as Prumnopitys spicata (Molloy & Muñoz-Schick 1999); however this name is illegitimate (Mill & Quinn 2001). Prumnopitys elegans (Phil) is a synonym for Prumnopitys andina.
The fruit (an Aril
) are tasty, 1.5cm (0.6 in) long, blue-purple color and are eaten by Native American
people in Chile, and a marmalade is produced with them. The tree is also occasionally grown as an ornamental tree and a hedge
in oceanic climate areas in northwest Europe
and the Pacific Northwest
of North America
. In these areas, it is also sometimes known as "Plum-yew" or "Plum-fruited Yew", though these names are more commonly applied to plants in the genus Cephalotaxus
(Cephalotaxaceae
).
Wood: yellowish color and has a good quality, used in furniture and construction.
Evidence suggests that very little regeneration is occurring to replace current ageing trees in populations. In 2007, the Forestry Commission
planted large numbers of young trees at Bedgebury Pinetum
in the UK as part of a project aiming to conserve the genetic resources of endangered conifers http://www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/TheTrees/.
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
native to south-central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and a few areas in adjacent parts of westernmost Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 36 to 40° South latitude. It lives on moderately wet soils preferable on Andean slopes from 500–1100 meters (1600–3500 ft).
It grows up to 30 m (100 ft) high, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter (6.5 ft). The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are linear to sickle-shaped, 15–30 mm long and 2 mm broad. The seed cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 2–4 cm long bearing 1-4 scales, each scale maturing berry-like, oval, 10–15 mm long and 10 mm broad, green maturing dark purple, with a soft edible pulp covering the single seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
. The seeds are dispersed by bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, which eat the 'berries' and pass the seeds in their droppings. Seeds are very difficult to germinate. Straight and cylindrical trunk. Gray and shine bark.
Before the genus Prumnopitys
Prumnopitys
Prumnopitys is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The eight recognised species of Prumnopitys are densely-branched, dioecious evergreen trees up to 40 metres in height. The leaves are similar to those of the yew, strap-shaped, 1-4 cm long and 2-3 mm broad, with a...
was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
as Podocarpus andinus. It has also been treated by some botanists as Prumnopitys spicata (Molloy & Muñoz-Schick 1999); however this name is illegitimate (Mill & Quinn 2001). Prumnopitys elegans (Phil) is a synonym for Prumnopitys andina.
The fruit (an Aril
Aril
An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, the mace of the nutmeg seed, or the...
) are tasty, 1.5cm (0.6 in) long, blue-purple color and are eaten by Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
people in Chile, and a marmalade is produced with them. The tree is also occasionally grown as an ornamental tree and a hedge
Hedge (gardening)
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and tree species, planted and trained in such a way as to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area. Hedges used to separate a road from adjoining fields or one field from another, and of sufficient age to incorporate larger trees, are...
in oceanic climate areas in northwest Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In these areas, it is also sometimes known as "Plum-yew" or "Plum-fruited Yew", though these names are more commonly applied to plants in the genus Cephalotaxus
Cephalotaxus
Cephalotaxus, commonly called Plum Yew or Cowtail Pine, is a genus of conifers comprising 11 species, treated in either the Cephalotaxaceae, or in the Taxaceae when that family is considered in a broad sense. The genus is endemic to eastern Asia, though fossil evidence shows it had a wider Northern...
(Cephalotaxaceae
Cephalotaxaceae
The family Cephalotaxaceae is a small grouping of conifers, with three genera and about 20 species, closely allied to the Taxaceae, and included in that family by some botanists. They are restricted to east Asia, except for two species of Torreya found in the southwest and southeast of the USA;...
).
Wood: yellowish color and has a good quality, used in furniture and construction.
Evidence suggests that very little regeneration is occurring to replace current ageing trees in populations. In 2007, the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
planted large numbers of young trees at Bedgebury Pinetum
Bedgebury Pinetum
Bedgebury National Pinetum at Bedgebury, Kent, in the United Kingdom, is a recreational and conservational arboretum and, with the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, comprises the UK National Arboreta. It was established as the National Conifer Collection in 1925 and is now recognised as the most...
in the UK as part of a project aiming to conserve the genetic resources of endangered conifers http://www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/TheTrees/.
External links
- Molloy, B. P. J. & Muñoz-Schick, M. 1999. The correct name for the Chilean conifer Lleuque (Podocarpaceae). New Zealand J. Bot. 37: 189–193. Available online (pdf file).
- Mill, R. R. & Quinn, C. J. 2001. Prumnopitys andina reinstated as the correct name for ‘lleuque’, the Chilean conifer recently renamed P. spicata (Podocarpaceae). Taxon 50: 1143 - 1154. **** Abstract.