Herb: Chilean Podocarp


Latin name: Podocarpus nubigenus


Family: Podocarpaceae (Podocarpus Family)



Edible parts of Chilean Podocarp:

Fruit - raw or cooked. About 8mm long. We have seen no reports for this species but it is most likely that the fruit is edible.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Tree

Height:
20 m
(66 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Grows in moist forests, where annual rainfall can be up to 5,000 millimetres, in association with Fitzroya cupressoides and Nothofagus dombeyi.

Other uses of Chilean Podocarp:

Wood - straight grained, reddish, very durable lasting a long time in water, but it can be brittle. Used for construction work and cabinet making.

Propagation of the herb:

The seed can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil in a warm greenhouse, though it is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of Chilean Podocarp:

Grows in moist forests, where annual rainfall can be up to 5,000 millimetres, in association with Fitzroya cupressoides and Nothofagus dombeyi.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Podocarpus nubigenus:

Superficially similar to Taxus species, but this plant is definitely not poisonous.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.