Common Name: yew plum pine
Type: Needled evergreen
Family: Podocarpaceae
Native Range: Southern China, Japan
Zone: 7 to 9
Height: 20.00 to 40.00 feet
Spread: 10.00 to 20.00 feet
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge
Leaf: Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 7-9 where it is best grown in rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of shade. Intolerant of wet soils. May develop chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves) in alkaline soils. Container grown plants can be placed outdoors during the growing season and brought indoors to be kept as a houseplant during the winter. Can also be kept as a houseplant year-round, but requires plenty of sun.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Podocarpus macrophyllus, commonly called yew plum pine or Buddhist pine, is native to mountainous areas of China and Japan. It is an evergreen conifer that typically grows as a narrow-conical tree to 50’ tall or sometimes as a large shrub. In cultivation in warm winter areas of the U. S., it usually grows much shorter (to 20-40’). This is a slow-growing conifer that features leathery, soft-textured, shiny dark green, yew-like needles (to 4” long) arranged in dense spirals. Foliage is pleasantly fragrant when bruised. Ellipsoidal fruits (to 1.5” long) are fleshy, olive-green, berry-like cones that ripen in the second year to purple. Fruits may be eaten out of hand or used in pies and cakes. Other common names include Japanese yew, yew pine, southern yew, yew podocarpus and podocarpus.
Genus name comes from the Greek words pous or podos meaning a foot and karpos meaning a fruit as the fruit is born on a fleshy stalk.
Specific epithet means large-leaved.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Scale may appear on indoor plants.
Uses
Where winter hardy, grow as large shrub or screen. Also effective as a specimen or lawn tree. Clip as a hedge. Foundations. Where not winter hardy, it may be grown in containers that must be overwintered in greenhouses or brightly lit corners of the home. Tolerance of low light conditions enables use as a house plant. Plants are sometimes seen growing in low light situations or under sky lights in shopping malls.