Scientific Name:
Podocarpus nivalis
Pronunciation:
poe-doe-KAR-pus nih-VAY-liss
Common Name:
alpine totara, mountain totara
Family Name:
Podocarpaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Leaves dense, spirally arranged, leathery, linear-oblong, 5-15mm long x 2-4mm wide, tips pointed or rounded; seed cone berry-like, red receptacle with green nut-like seed appendage; seeds solitary, ovoid, 3.5-5.5mm long. Conifers.org
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Habit:
Dense, Spreading
Form:
Mounded, Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand (Tasmania, New South Wales)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Ground cover, Mixed shrub border, Rock garden, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include P. 'Kilworth Cream' (rounded dwarf with creamy foliage and pinkish new growth in spring).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Needle-like
Arrangement:
Alternate, Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Dark-green, Dark green with cast of blue, new growth is red
Shapes:
Linear, Oblong
Apices:
Acute, Cuspidate, Obtuse
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, Yellow, Red
Flower Time at Peak:
Additional Info:
The male strobilus is catkin-like
Fruit Type:
Edible
Fruit Colour:
Green, Red
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Edible, Drupe-like with a fleshy receptacle
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing)
Propagation:
Cuttings
Course(s):
- not used (on campus)
Location(s):
- (AGB) Acer Griseum Bed : dwarf cv. Kilworth Cream