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Lagarostrobus franklinii

Common name:	Huon Pine	Family:	Podocarpaceae
Author:	(Hook.f.)Quinn.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Dacrydium franklinii (Hook.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - S. and W. Tasmania.
Habitat:	Banks of rivers and swampy flats to 750 metres[11, 167].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Lagarostrobos franklinii[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Huon Pine [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	strobus = gum yielding;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Podocarpus family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 15m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Wind. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

The source of an essential oil, called Huon pinewood oil, that has been recommended for the production of vanillin[61, 183]. This can be used as a flavouring in ice creams, confectionery, beverages etc[183]. It is usually obtained by steam distillation of the wood[156].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Repellent; Resin.

The essential oil (see above) is also used in medicinal soaps, toilet water, as a preservative in casein paints etc[46, 61, 156].
Wood - fairly hard, straight grained, light, soft, strong, aromatic. It is very durable, containing a strongly scented resin that repels insects. Used for construction, furniture etc[61, 156, 167].

Cultivation details

Requires a light, freely draining soil[164] in a sheltered position with protection from cold winds[166]. Requires high rainfall and humidity if it is to succeed[200]. This species tolerates shade and probably requires it in drier areas if the tree is to survive[82, 200]. It requires warm summers if it is to grow well in this country, and even then it is very slow growing[11, 200].
Plants are only hardy in the milder areas of the country[11, 82]. An 80 year old tree at Bodnant was 6 metres tall in 1970[185]. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157] but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and colder, wetter winters.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a freely draining compost. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 20°c[164]. Another report says that the seed can be very slow to germinate and that it is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[200]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Dacrydium franklinii (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Lagarostrobos franklinii (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Podocarpaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[156] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney 1981 ISBN 0-00-216441-8
A very readable book.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[185] Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975 ISBN 0-11-710012-9
A bit out of date (first published in 1972), but an excellent guide to how well the various species of conifers grow in Britain giving locations of trees.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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