"A. branchlet with ripe fruit, B. ripe fruit, C. branchlet with male cones, D. microsporophyll" (Van Royen 1979).
"Detail of female branch with cones. Mt Amungwiwa, New Guinea, 3050 m (Photogr. P. van Royen 11072, June 1976" (de Laubenfels 1988).
Range of Dacrycarpus compactus (de Laubenfels 1988). Adapted from a map by www.expediamaps.com.
"A boggy hollow, filled with the tall grass Deschampsia klossii Ridley (c. 1 m high) with on the edge tall Dacrycarpus compactus (Wasscher) de Laub. in dense, very mossy shrubberies of mixed composition. About 1 km north of Lake Habbema, West New Guinea, 3300 m (Photogr. L.J. Brass, 1938)" (de Laubenfels 1988).
Dacrycarpus compactus
Binban (Oriomo), djasiha (Asaro, Kefamo), kadzinam, kaibigl (Minj), kaipik (Kubur, Minj), man (Kunimaipa), ma-u (Najo), pau (Enga, Kepilam), pawa (Enga, Poio), uba, umba, umbwa (Chimbu, Waimambano) (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
Syn: Podocarpus compacta Wasscher 1941; P. papuanus (non Ridley) Pilger 1936 (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
Tree: Height 2-20 m and dbh 25-60 cm, often with 'straggly and twisted' crown (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
Bark: Outer bark hard, rough, warty, dark gray, cracking into small scales; inner bark reddish straw (Van Royen 1979).
Leaves: Dark green or dark grey green above, glaucous below. On primary shoots spreading slightly, often curved so that the apex is directed inward towards the axis. Leaves of juvenile foliage shoots are not distichous, lanceolate, strongly keeled laterally, 2-2.5 × 0.6 mm. Leaves on older trees not dimorphic, bifacially flattened, slightly spreading, lanceolate, falcate, needle-tipped, strongly keeled on the dorsal side, 1-2.5 × 0.6-1 mm (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
Cones: Terminal on a 6-17 mm long brachyblast. Involucral leaves robust, 4-5 × 0.8-1.2 mm, clasping the receptacle, strongly keeled on the dorsal side and more or less triangular in cross section, 4-5 by 0.8-1.2 mm. Ripe receptacle purple to black, small, 3-4 mm long, warty (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
Pollen cones: Lateral on a 3+ mm long shoot or terminal, cylindric, 7-8 × 2-3 mm. Microsporophylls lanceolate, 2 mm long, acute, anther-cells globose-ellipsoid, c. 1 mm long (Van Royen 1979).
Seeds: Dark brown or black, globose, 7-8.5 × 7-8 mm, with a rounded crest (Van Royen 1979, de Laubenfels 1988).
New Guinea, "[i]n subalpine shrubberies and alpine grasslands, 3200-3800 m. Flowers May - Aug., but also reported from February." Regionally distributed as follows:
"Common on the higher peaks near the tree line, sometimes forming pure stands or emerging above a subalpine shrubbery, or scattered in alpine grassland, often in isolated specimens and obviously fire-resistant, in Podocarpus-Libocedrus forest, rarely on wet peaty soil (Lake Aunde), 2800-3950 m, but mostly above 3400 m." (de Laubenfels 1988).
Last Modified 2010-12-12
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