Flora of New Zealand Series

Plant dioec. or monoec.; male strobili terminal or axillary, micro-sporophylls bisporangiate; seeds solitary or in groups, megasporophylls bracted, 1-ovuled; cots 2, epimatium us. well developed. Mostly trees with persistent lvs, or lvs deciduous and replaced by phylloclades. Some 7 genera and over 100 spp., mainly of southern hemisphere.

The N.Z. spp. attributed to Podocarpus and Dacrydium present some difficulties of classification. Brandt (Nature 170, Dec. 13, 1952, 1018) discusses the "chemical differentiation of the genera Podocarpus and Dacrydium" and concludes: " on the chemical evidence available, it appears that D. cupressinum shows much less affinity with Dacrydium, but a close relationship to, and should perhaps be placed with Podocarpus." This conclusion agrees with the view that " the anatomical features of the wood resemble those of Podocarpus" (Orman and Reid in N.Z.J.For. 5 (3), 1946, 215). Carpological and other features suggest that D. bidwilli, D. kirkii and D. biforme might better be placed in Podocarpus. There is need for a detailed investigation of the spp. concerned, before any departure from the customary treatment is made. See also discussion on the chemical aspects by Briggs (J. Roy. Soc. N.S.W. 80, 1947, 157-177).

Fig. 4. PODOCARPACEAE. Seeds and associated structures: A, aril; B, bract; C, carpidium; E, epimatium; I, integument; M, micropyle; R, receptacle. (L.S. P. totara after Sinnott in Ann. Bot., Lond. 27, 1913) © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X1P]