274 
$ 25. Podocarpus. 
Literature: Brooks and Stiles (27), Gibbs, (67), 
Norén (98), Pilger (117), Sinnott (137), Thomson 
(156), Tison (159), Young (183). 
Material: Pod. elongata . (Carr. Bot. Gard. Rome. 
neriifolius  Don.* ,, u x 
» Nageia R:Br +, TOO: 
macrophylla Wall* , x à 
The female strobilus of Podocarpus stands terminal to 
long or short shoots or in the axil of leaves borne by 
long or short shoots. It is very different in shape according 
to the subdivisions of the genus or the various species 
and also the general form and size of the sporophylls may 
differ considerably. 
In Pod. macrophylla the axis bears at its apex three 
pairs of decussate bracts the lower one of which is small 
and pointed, the second pair is fleshy and grows out into 
the receptacle, of which one of the two fleshy scales 
bears the ovule, finely the third pair does exist in a young 
stage, but is not developed further. 
In Pod. elongata the lowermost pair of sporophylls too 
is large and becomes fleshy in the mature condition, 
forming with the other pair the receptacle. 
With the ripening ot the seed the receptacle develops 
into a round bullet-like berry of crimson colour, in which 
the original bracts are to be distinguished. A. Braun 
has indicated that the fleshy receptacle has been formed 
out of the fused bracts, as he has found abnormous 
specimens of Pod. macrophyllus subsp. maki in which 
the bases of the ordinary leaves were swollen, as is the 
case with a receptacle. In a young stage the free leave 
tops are clearly to be seen as small slips on the thickened 
basalportions. 
On the sporophyil only one ovule is present, its micro- 
