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Prumnopitys andina

Common name:	Plum-Fruited Yew	Family:	Podocarpaceae
Author:	(Poepp. ex Endl.)deLaub.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Podocarpus andinus (Poepp. ex Endl.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America - S. Chile.
Habitat:	Humid woods between the coast and the hills[139], between latitudes 36 and 40° south[11].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. elegans[G] Podocarpus spicatus[G] Taxus spicata[G]
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Podocarpus family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 15m by 8m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The scented 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. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit Seed.

Fruit - raw or cooked[105, 139, 177]. Aromatic with a taste like the sweetwater grape[11, 245]. The fruit is up to 20mm long and 15mm wide, it contains one seed[200].
Seed[11, 81]. No more details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge Wood.

The plant is very tolerant of trimming and can be grown as a hedge[1, 29, 200].
Wood. Used to make furniture[139].

Cultivation details

Thrives in any good soil, including chalk[11, 81]. Requires a sheltered position[11].
A very ornamental plant[1], but it is in general very slow growing in Britain[11, 81], though slightly faster in the south-west[185].
Plants are usually dioecious though monoecious forms are known. Male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruit are required.
The fruits are fragrant[245].

Propagation

Seed - it can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil in a greenhouse[1]. It can take 18 months to germinate[200]. 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 wood, July/august in a frame. Easy[1].
Cuttings of ripe wood with a heel in late summer.

Scent

Fruit: Fresh: The fruits are fragrant[245].

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant 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

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[29] Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974 ISBN 0900629649
A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.

[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[139] ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish)
Some information about the useful plants of Chile.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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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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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.