Podocarpus nubigenus (mañio macho) description

Podocarpus nubigenus

Lindl. 1851

Common names

Mañio macho, mañíu macho, mañío de hojas punzantes [Spanish, in C and S Chile], mañío hembra [Spanish, in Chile: Chiloé], mañiú macho [Spanish, in Argentina]; huililahuán [Spanish, uncommon]. It really has no English name, but the scientific name means "cloud-borne", so "cloud yellowwood" would be a good choice for this rainforest tree.

Taxonomic notes

Type: Chile, Los Lagos, Isla de Chiloe, W. Lobb 80 (iso K). Syn.: Nageia nubigena (Lindl.) F. Muell. 1876 (Farjon 2010). The phylogenetics of this species are a bit of a mystery. It was assessed in the family-wide molecular and morphological analysis of Knopf et al. (2012), but was not well resolved. The rbcL data simply placed it within subgenus Podocarpus, while the NEEDLY intron 2 data moved it to subgenus Foliolatus, albeit sister to every other taxon in the subgenus. The combined molecular plus morphology dataset placed it sister to a group of African species, but with low confidence. Plastome sequencing reported by Quiroga et al. (2022) identifies significant differences between the P. nubigenus and P. totara plastomes, but this is evidently due to an isolated event that has affected P. totara and no other Podocarpus taxa. So, there is an unsolved mystery of biogeography affecting P. nubigenus. In appearance it very closely resembles P. totara, native to the temperate podocarp forests of New Zealand; morphology and, to a degree, molecular data identify a close relationship between the two taxa. The same issue, close similarity in appearance, habitat, and molecular taxonomy, affects the species pair Prumnopitys taxifolia of New Zealand and Prumnopitys andina of South America. This evidently attests to a dispersal event in the distant past, but the nature and timing of that event remain unknown. The two areas have not had a land connection since the early Cretaceous, about 120 million years ago, which is a very long time for species pairs to maintain such a close similarity.

Description

Dioecious trees to 25 m tall and 200 cm dbh, typically with a single straight bole and a pyramidal crown of ascending branches that with age becomes more irregular, dominated by a few main structural branches. Bark first smooth, later becoming fissured and scaly, exfoliating in long flakes, cinnamon or purplish brown weathering to gray. Twigs round. Foliage buds small, up to 6 mm long, bud scales erect or slightly spreading, lanceolate, acute. Leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, straight, 15-30 × 2-4 mm (on saplings somewhat larger), sessile, stiffly coriaceous, pale green when flushing, maturing dark green with a lighter raised midrib on upper side, that fades toward apex; on lower side more pale with two light stomatal bands and a flat or slightly raised midrib; apex pungent. Pollen cones axillary, sessile, in groups of 2-4, 10-20 × 2.5-3.5 mm, cream-colored. Seed cones axillary, solitary on short peduncles, receptacle swelling to 7-8 × 6-8 mm, succulent, reddish ripening to a dark purple. Seed within the epimatium ovoid, 8-9 × 6-7 mm, not crested, purple when ripe (Farjon 2010).

Distribution and Ecology

Chile: Aisen, Los Lagos, Magellanes and Argentina: Nequen, Santa Cruz. It grows at elevations of 0-1000 m, often on saturated soils or near streams in the Valdivian temperate rain forest; this makes it the southernmost species of Podocarpus. Common associates include the conifers Saxegothaea conspicua, Fitzroya cupressoides, and Libocedrus uvifera, as well as a variety of angiosperms, chiefly Nothofagus nitida (Farjon 2010, Haberle and Bennett 1999). Based on data from 14 collection localities, it grows at elevations of 430 ±380 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 8.5°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 1.8°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 2160 mm (Biffin et al. 2011, Table S5). Hardy to Zone 7 (cold hardiness limit between -17.7°C and -12.2°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).

The IUCN has assessed this species as "Near Threatened". Although it has a large range, it is experiencing ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation through conversion to nonforest land uses, and this habitat loss is occurring at a fairly rapid rate. Additional threats including logging for timber, harvest of young trees for Christmas trees, and local exploitation for firewood. About 25% of the population is found in protected areas, and the species has experienced some incidental protection thanks to its association with the strongly protected Fitzroya (Gardner 2013).

A shown by the photos at right, this is one podocarp that actually looks like a conifer; it is not likely to be mistaken for anything else.

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.01.23.

Ethnobotany

Commercially harvested for timber; locally harvested for timber and firewood, and the saplings make popular Christmas trees. Being attractive and cold-tolerant (for a Podocarpus), it is somewhat popular in horticulture, but warrants wider use (Farjon 2010).

Observations

See the observations on iNaturalist, most of which are in national parks and other readily-accessible locations.

Remarks

The epithet is from the Latin nubilus, "cloudy", and genus, "borne", perhaps referring to the dark purple seed-bearing structure, but also to the plant's temperate rainforest habitat.

Citations

Gardner, M. 2013. Podocarpus nubigenus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T32029A2808526. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T32029A2808526.en, accessed 2023.02.03.

Haberle, Simon and Keith Bennett. 1999. Late Quaternary Environmental Dynamics of Southwestern Chile. http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/who/haberle/chile/chile1.html, accessed 2000.02.02, now defunct.

Lindley. 1851. Notices of certain Ornamental Plants lately introduced into England. Journal of the Horticultural Society of London v. 6, p. 264. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.01.07.

Quiroga, M. Paula, Eduardo E. Zattara, Gustavo Souza, Andrea Pedrosa-Harand, and Andrea C. Premoli. 2022. Plastome sequencing of South American Podocarpus species reveals low rearrangement rates despite ancient gondwanan disjunctions. Molecular Biology Reports 2022:1-10. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1547449/v1.