46 CHINESE ECONOMIC TREES 



anther on the under side; pollen grains with 2 large round wings. The 

 pistillate flowers, usually solitary and pedunculate, consisting of a scale 

 enveloping the single ovule, with several bracts at the base which become 

 much thickened and more or less fleshy at maturity. Fruit a naked or 

 fleshy and drupe-like seed, supported on a usually fleshy receptacle. 

 Cotyledons 2. 



About 50 species, mostly in Australasia, S. America, and Southern 

 Asia and Africa. Members of this genus are tropical and only 1 species 

 occurs in China. For the most part, they are important timber trees. 

 The staminate flowers are yellow; the pistillate green. The fruit is small 

 and berry-like, borne on a fleshy stalk which in some species is edible. 

 Propagated by seeds and by cuttings. 



Podocarpus nerifolia Don. 



A tree, above 25 m. tall with whorled branches and thin, fibrous bark. 

 Leaves scattered, sometimes in whorls of 3-5, narrow lanceolate, acute, 

 margin somewhat revolute, midrib prominent on both sides, coriaceous, 

 dark green above, slightly glaucous below/13-26 cm. long. Staminate 

 flowers 3-5 cm. long, sessile and clustered. Pistillate solitary, on a 

 peduncle 12 mm. long. Receptacle fleshy, at first yellow-green, changing 

 to orange-red and finally deep purple at maturity. Seeds ovoid, glaucous 

 green, 12 mm. long. 



From the Himalayas to S. W. China and New Guinea. E. H. Wilson 

 notes that the tree is occasionally planted around temples in the warmer 

 parts of Western Szechuan, particularly on Omei Shan. The fleshy 

 receptacle of the fruit is eaten by the natives of Nepal. The wood is 

 light, close and even grained, yellowish and fairly hard, much esteemed 

 in Burma. This species is sometimes met with as a greenhouse plant 

 in Europe. 



TORREYA 



Evergreen trees with more or less foetid or aromatic leaves, shoots and 

 fruit. Buds with few bud scales. Leaves spirally arranged but appearing 

 2 ranked on the lateral branches, linear, sharp-pointed, slightly rounded 

 and dark green on the upper surface, paler and with a groove and 2 narrow 

 stomatiferous lines below, more or less foetid. Flowers dioecious, rarely 

 monoecious. The staminate flowers solitary, in the axil of a leaf on the 



