Podocarpus pendulifolius
Pino carbón, pino hayuco [Spanish].
Type: Venezuela, Cordillera do Merida, Paramo de la Negra, above La Grita, 1944.07.07, J.A. Steyermark 57115 (holo F; not listed in the online catalog of F). No synonyms. Podocarpus pendulifolius does not seem to have been addressed in any systematic studies. Though Buchholz and Gray (1948) and de Laubenfels (1985) placed it within an infrageneric hierarchy, such hierarchies have generally not found molecular support in studies of Podocarpus, as discussed for Podocarpus. The molecular studies have tended to place geographically proximal species into shared clades, so we might expect that this species would be grouped with other Podocarpus of the Guiana Highlands, i.e. P. acuminatus, P. aracensis, P. buchholzii, P. celatus, P. magnifolius, P. roraimae, P. salicifolius, P. steyermarkii, and P. tepuiensis.
Dioecious trees to 20 m tall and 50 cm dbh with a dense crown of spreading branches. Bark thin, reddish brown, with shallow transverse and longitudinal fissures. Twigs stout, round, yellowish green turning pale brown. Foliage buds subglobose, 3-5 mm diameter; bud scales imbricate, broad-ovate, carinate with scarious margins. Leaves strongly pendulous, petiolate, thin-coriaceous, green on both sides, linear-lanceolate, 50-120 × 7-11 mm, margins flat, midrib slightly raised and continuous to apex on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces, apex acute. Pollen cones axillary, solitary, sessile, 20-40 × 6-7 mm. Seed cones axillary, solitary on 7-10 mm peduncles, the receptacles 8-9 mm long at maturity, red to dark purple, often pruinose. Seeds single, ovoid, 8-9 × 6-7 mm, with a small apiculate crest (Farjon 2010).
In their key, Buchholz and Gray (1948) mainly distinguish this species by its relatively large, drooping leaves.
Venezuela, only known from the Cordillera do Merida, where found at 1400 to 3000 m elevation, where it is most common amongst the paramo, an alpine grassland, where the trees typically have low stature (a few meters tall) (Farjon 2010).
The IUCN reports that this species is known from only two areas, and thus has quite a small area of occupancy. Ongoing declines have been noted; the main threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, and timber harvest. The species is not known to occur in any protected area (Farjon 2013).
No data as of 2023.02.03.
The timber is reportedly of good quality for house construction (Farjon 2010).
No suitable locales are known.
This is a remarkably little-known species, with virtually no taxonomic, ecological, or other work done on it and very few reported collections (only 9 with georeferencing), despite the fact that it was described in 1948.
Buchholz, J. T. and N. E. Gray. 1948. A Taxonomic Revision of Podocarpus. IV. The American Species of Section Eupodocarpus, Sub-Sections C and D. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 29: 123-151. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2023.02.03.
Farjon, A. 2013. Podocarpus pendulifolius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T34093A2845128. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T34093A2845128.en, accessed 2023.02.03.
The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World, which also includes several photographs and a distribution map.
Last Modified 2023-02-26
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