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Prumnopitys taxifolia

Common name:	Matai	Family:	Podocarpaceae
Author:	(Sol. ex D.Don.)deLaub.	Botanical references:	11, 44, 200
Synonyms:	Prumnopitys spicata ((Mirb.)Masters.), Podocarpus spicatus (R.Br. ex Mirb.), Dacrydium taxifolium (Sol. ex D.Don.), Dacrydium spicatum
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	New Zealand.
Habitat:	Lowland forests, North, South and Stewart Islands[44].
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.
	Dacrydium taxifolia[G] P. andina[G,HORTIPLEX] P. elegans[G] Pilocarpus spicatus[H] Podocarpus andinus[G] Taxus spicata[G]
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Pinales. Podocarpus family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 25m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen from October to November. 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. We rate it 2/5 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, Canopy.

Edible Uses

Drink Fruit Sap.

Fruit - raw[2, 128, 173]. A sweet flavour[183]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter and contains one seed[200].
The watery sap is drunk or used in the preparation of a beer-like beverage[183]. It is best from trees that are neither too young nor too old[173].
Other reports say that the young shoots are made into a beverage resembling spruce beer[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge Wood.

The plant is very tolerant of trimming and can be grown as a hedge[200].
Wood. Used for furniture, construction, bridges etc[61].

Cultivation details

Thrives in any good soil, including chalk[11, 81]. Requires a sheltered position[11].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain, though it succeeds outdoors in the mildest areas of the country[11, 81].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruit are required.

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.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[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 Pilocarpus spicatus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Podocarpus spicatus (a possible synonym).

[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

References for Prumnopitys andina (a possible synonym).

[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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and 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.

[44] Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961
The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

[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.

[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.

[128] Laing. and Blackwell. Plants of New Zealand. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd 1907
An old flora of New Zealand in a readable style. Some details of plant uses.

[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.

[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.

[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.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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