Saxegothaea
Encyclopedia
Saxegothaea is a genus
comprising a single species
of conifer
belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae
, its full scientific name is Saxegothaea conspicua, native to southern South America
. It grows in Chile
and Argentina
from 35° to 46° South latitude, in its northernmost natural distribution it
grows between 800 and 1000 (2600-3300 ft) m above sea level and in the south it lives at sea level. . The species is most often known by its genus name, or sometimes as Female Maniu (a translation of its name in Spanish) and "Prince Albert's Yew", although it is not a yew
(Taxus); in South America it is known as Mañío hembra or Maniú hembra.
It is a slow-growing, long-lived evergreen tree
growing to 15-25 m (50-80 ft)tall, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. The bark
is thin and flaky to scaly, dark purple-brown. The leaves
are arranged in an irregular spiral; they are lanceolate, 1.5-3 cm long, 2 mm broad, fairly hard with a prickly spine tip, dark green above, and with two glaucous blue-white stomatal bands below. The cones
are 1 cm long, with 15-20 soft scales; usually only 2-4 scales on each cone are fertile, bearing a single seed
3 mm in diameter.
Saxegothaea is endemic
to the Valdivian temperate rain forests
of southern Chile
and adjacent parts of Argentina
, where it is generally found in association with Pilgerodendron uviferum
and Fitzroya cupressoides
The wood has a good quality and is used in furniture and barrels.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
comprising a single species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of conifer
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...
belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....
, its full scientific name is Saxegothaea conspicua, native to southern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. It grows in 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 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 35° to 46° South latitude, in its northernmost natural distribution it
grows between 800 and 1000 (2600-3300 ft) m above sea level and in the south it lives at sea level. . The species is most often known by its genus name, or sometimes as Female Maniu (a translation of its name in Spanish) and "Prince Albert's Yew", although it is not a yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
(Taxus); in South America it is known as Mañío hembra or Maniú hembra.
It is a slow-growing, long-lived evergreen 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...
growing to 15-25 m (50-80 ft)tall, with a trunk up to 1 m in diameter. The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is thin and flaky to scaly, dark purple-brown. 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 arranged in an irregular spiral; they are lanceolate, 1.5-3 cm long, 2 mm broad, fairly hard with a prickly spine tip, dark green above, and with two glaucous blue-white stomatal bands below. The 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 1 cm long, with 15-20 soft scales; usually only 2-4 scales on each cone are fertile, bearing a 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...
3 mm in diameter.
Saxegothaea is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Valdivian temperate rain forests
Valdivian temperate rain forests
The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed-forest ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia...
of southern 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 adjacent parts of 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...
, where it is generally found in association with Pilgerodendron uviferum
Pilgerodendron
Pilgerodendron is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, Pilgerodendron uviferum, and is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. It grows from 40 to 55°S in...
and Fitzroya cupressoides
Alerce
Alerce is a Chilean town in the communes of Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas in Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region.- External links :*...
The wood has a good quality and is used in furniture and barrels.