Podocarpus macrophyllus

Podocarpus macrophyllus is a medium-sized evergreen tree, originally from Southeast Asia, mainly from southern China and Japan. The trunk is reddish brown, and it peels off in pinkish strips that are long and snarled, not uniform in size. The appearance of the remaining bark is disordered and even savage, darker than the peeled-off strips. The leaves of the tree are simple, flat, leathery and shiny, which reach up to 10 cm in length. They are connected to branch by a red stem and are arranged in a spiral. They are very dark and rich in color, with a shade that tends toward bluish. The leaves are beautiful, fragrant and dense. In spring the tree blooms with a flower of no horticultural importance. The tree is dioecious, and the flower of the male tree is staminate, while the female is carpellate. After flowering, the female trees will bear red berries, upon which a gray seed with a greenish tint sits. The roots of the tree are not considered invasive. The tree is resistant to the cold and the extreme heat that exists in most areas of the country. It will not succeed in chalky or saline soil or in soils that are not well drained or with a tendency to chalkiness, where it will suffer from chlorosis. It requires relatively little watering. Its growth rate when young is slow, but it will increase a little once it is established. It responds well to pruning and can be shaped in a variety of ways, including geometric shapes. It is resistant to low-light conditions, so it is very popular abroad as a designed plant in planters at building entrances and inside shopping centers.

In our opinion, this is an excellent street and boulevard tree that is underused in Israel, and we recommend increasing its use.

Another tree from the family: Afrocarpus falcatus