Afrocarpus falcatus
| Afrocarpus falcatus | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Podocarpaceae |
| Genus: | Afrocarpus |
| Species: | A. falcatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Afrocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Podocarpus falcatus, Sickle-leaved Yellowwood, Outeniqua Yellowwood |
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Afrocarpus falcatus, commonly known as the Sickle-leaved Yellowwood and False Yellowwood (formerly also Outeniqua Yellowwood; syn. Podocarpus falcatus), is a species of Afrocarpus, native to montane forests of South Africa, from Swellendam District of Western Cape Province to Limpopo Province, and into southern Mozambique.
When grown domestically, it is a medium-sized to large tree, reaching heights of 10-25 m, but can sometimes attain heights of up to 60 m - and live for hundreds of years - in its natural habitat. Mature trees have a rougher, scaly bark than that of younger trees. The leaves are spirally arranged, lanceolate or falcate (sickle-shaped) with a very sharp point, 2-4 cm long and 2-4 mm broad. Pollen cones and seed cones are found on trees of different gender. The seed cones are highly modified, with a single large seed with a thin fleshy coating borne on a short peduncle. The fruit takes a year to mature, turning yellow, and is dispersed by birds and monkeys which eat the fleshy coating, a necessary step for growth since the flesh contains a germination inhibitor. The pollen cones are produced in clusters on short stems,
[edit] Pictures
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A medium-sized Outeniqua Yellowwood in Cape Town.
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The Big Tree, a large specimen in the Wilderness nature reserve.
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Outeniqua Yellowwood growing on the slopes of Table Mountain.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Afrocarpus falcatus |
[edit] References and external links
- Conifer Specialist Group (2000). Afrocarpus falcatus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 26 November 2006.
- Gymnosperm Database: Afrocarpus falcatus
- English Names of South African Trees
- Arboretum de Villardebelle: Afrocarpus falcatus photographs
- South African National Biodiversity Institute Podocarpus falcatus
- "Podocarpus falcatus". Plantz Afrika. http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/podocarpfalcat.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- PROTA4U, a new interactive webdatabase on plants used by people in tropical Africa.
