Podocarpus totara
| Podocarpus totara | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 98' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Podocarpus totara (common name: totara)
Propagation: The seed can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil in a warm greenhouse, though it is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe[1]. 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 terminal shoots, 5 - 10cm long, July/August in a frame[2].
Cultivation: Prefers a rich moist non-alkaline soil[3].
This species is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain. Plants have succeeded in Suffolk and Argyll as well as in southern and western Britain but it is only in Cornwall and Ireland that plants achieve the stature of trees[4][5]. A tree at Trebah gardens in Cornwall was 16 metres tall in 1959[5].
Plants are fairly slow growing with an average increase in height around 20cm a year in Cornwall[5].
Cultivated as a timber tree in New Zealand[1].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[6].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: New Zealand.
Habitat: Lowland, montane and sub-alpine forest on North, South and Stewart Islands[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[8][9][10][11]. Sweet and juicy but there is a hint of turpentine in its flavour, especially if it is not fully ripe[12]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[6].
Usage: Wood - straight grained, reddish, very durable lasting a long time in water, but it can be brittle. Used for construction work and cabinet making[1][13][14][15][16].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: Superficially similar to Taxus species, but this plant is definitely not poisonous[6].
Also Known As: P. hallii.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ Rushforth, Keith. Conifers. Batsford, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Brooker, Stanley. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press, 1991.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Laing, Robert. Plants of New Zealand. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd, 1907.