Podocarpaceae

Disclaimer

Content is from Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020-January 2022. URL:  https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm ., without modification. 
Updates are forthcoming.

Taxonomy

Podocarpaceae Endlicher

Common name: Podocarpus Family.

Number of genera: 18 genera (Page).

Number of species (Mabberley 1997): 126 species (Page, 1990).

Disseminule

Cone, or seed. 

Description

Cones: Fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
, or drydry:
texture—free or relatively free from water or liquid
(Saxegothaea); simplesimple:
fruit formed from a single flower with one pistil, solitary carpel or several fused carpels
when drydry:
texture—free or relatively free from water or liquid
(Saxegothaea); with scales (Saxegothaea); epispermatium when fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
(Spjut Fig. 28C-D & only family), or arillocarpium when fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
(Micostrobus not Spjut). Fruiting scales present; fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
.

Seeds: Arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
seed seated in enlarged fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
receptacle absent, or present (Microstrobus); a true arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
, or an arillike structure; white; well developed; adnate to testatesta:
seed coat
; fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
, or drydry:
texture—free or relatively free from water or liquid
; basalbasal:
at or pertaining to the point of attachment; (of embryo) embryo occupies one end of the seed
, or encompassing; does not aid in seed explusion from fruit; fragile; cupshaped; unlobed. Arillike structure falling with seed an epimatium. Seed larger than minute; 5 to less than 10 mm long to 10 to less than 25 mm long; 10–22 mm long; circularcircular:
(of embryo) linear embryo is curved into an "O" shape
(sub), or oblongoblong:
2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded
, or ovateovate:
2D shape—egg-shaped in outline, widest point is towards one end of the organ, the other end tapers gradually, attachment at or near the broad end (compare obovate, ovoid)
; in transectiontransection:
a cross section; representing a plane made by cutting across an organ at a right angle to its length
tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
(more or less); not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beakbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
; without caudatecaudate:
tapering to a long, tail-like appendage
appendage(s); without canavanine. Sarcotestasarcotesta:
pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril
absent. Testatesta:
seed coat
present; without markedly different marginalmarginal:
at, on, or close to the margin or border
tissue; without fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
layer over hard layer; tight; surface unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
, or wrinkledwrinkled:
surface relief—shallow, irregular folds and furrows covering the surface; appearing overall though crumpled and then spread out
; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
; without wings; without collar; without operculumoperculum:
a dehiscent cap (or lid) of a seed or fruit that opens during germination or dehiscence
; colored; monochrome; black, or red (dish), or yellow, or green; not becoming mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
when wetted; surrounding food reserve. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testatesta:
seed coat
(with food reserve); 0.5–0.6 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axileaxile:
on or of the axis
and centric; foliatefoliate:
appearing leaf-like
, or conicalconical:
3D shape—cone-shaped, with the point of attachment at the broad end
; with spatulatespatulate:
2D shape—like a spatula; rounded at the apex, with base long and tapered; (of embryo) embryo is straight and axile and centric with the cotyledons expanded to form the shape of a spatula or spoon; (of cotyledons) cotyledons expanded and wider than the stalk but not invested into the stalk
cotyledons; straight; parallel to seed length, or obliqueoblique:
in a slanting direction or position, neither horizontal nor vertical
to seed length; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; thinthin:
having or being of relatively little depth
; flat; smooth; with apicesapex:
the point farthest from the point of attachment, or the "tip" of an organ
entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctatepunctate:
surface relief—dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands or with colored dots, similar to pitted
dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle small; straight; not thickened.

Distribution

General distribution: Southern Hemisphere & extending to Japan, Central America, & West Indies. New World and Old World.

Detailed distribution: Middle America, South America, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Southeastern, Australia, and Oceania.

Notes

Notes: Mabberley & Page in Kramer & Green: Seed seated on or surrounded by aril-like receptacle, but Microstrobus is without swollen receptaclar appendage (rarely arillike structure wanting). This genus does not meet the definition in Spjut. According to Page Phyllocladus has a true "aril aril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
eventually surrounding the case of the seed". Phyllocladus aril aril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
is cupular, fragile, white. General: Podocarpaceae has fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
or drydry:
texture—free or relatively free from water or liquid
arilaril:
(broad sense) appendicular structure that wholly or partly envelops a seed and is produced from or a modification of the funicle, raphe, or outer integument; usually fleshy or pulpy, sometimes spongy or tufted-capillate, often brightly colored
(epimatium) and seated on on an enlarged fleshyfleshy:
texture—fairly firm and dense, juicy or at least moist, and easily cut
receptacle. Sagegothaea has "cones" with several imbricated bracts.

References

General references: Engler, A. & K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, & J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 & amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, Page, C.N. 1990. Coniferophytina (Conifers and Ginkgoids). In: Kubitzki, K., ed., The families and genera of vascular plants, pp. 282–361. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, LeMaout, E. & J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, & Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, and Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.