Podocarpus dispermus
Type location "Gadgarra Reserve, Atherton Tableland, alt. 800 m., in rain-forest, not plentiful, no. 1192 (type; ripe seeds)" (White 1933). Collected first on 1929.08.10 by S. F. Kajewski (Hill 1998).
Trees up to 20 m tall. Bark thin, smooth to thinly scaly. Foliage buds small, conical, over 3× longer than wide with acicular scales. Adult leaves short-petiolate, 18-30 mm × 10-20 cm, acute(-pungent), glossy, dark green with a prominent midrib and 3 resin ducts below the vascular bundle. Pollen cones axillary in groups of 1-3, sessile, cylindrical, 2-3×10-30 mm. Seed cones axillary on thick peduncles 5-15 mm long with a fleshy red receptacle 5-6 mm long bearing 2 deciduous subtending bracts. Mature seed elliptic, ca. 17×25 mm. Similar species (P. elatus, P. grayae, P. smithii) differ with regard to characters including bud shape and bud scale shape, number of resin ducts, and color of receptacle. P. grayae has globular buds. P. smithii has large buds with obtuse scales, and a solitary resin duct. P. elatus has shorter, blunter buds and receptacles are purple at maturity (Hill 1998).
Australia: Queensland, occurring only on the Atherton Tableland and adjacent ranges, from sea level to 700 m elevation (Hill 1998). You can create a highly detailed map, and access specimen data, using the "search" function at the Australia Virtual Herbarium. The IUCN reports that the population status is stable.
White, C.T. 1933. Contributions from the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 4:10.
P. 268 in de Laubenfels (1985).
P. 448-449 in Gray (1958).
Last Modified 2012-04-20