Phyllocladus

Description

Phyllocladus, the celery pines, is a small genus of conifers, now usually treated in the family Podocarpaceae. Species occur mainly in New Zealand, Tasmania, and Malesia in the Southern Hemisphere, though P. hypophyllus ranges into the Philippines, a short way north of the equator. They are small to medium-size trees, reaching 10-30 m tall, or sometimes small shrubs. The main structural shoots are green for 2-3 years, then turn brown as the bark thickens. The leaves are sparse, tiny, scale-like, 2-3 mm long, and only green (photosynthetic) for a short time, soon turning brown. Most photosynthesis is performed by highly modified, leaf-like short shoots called phylloclades; these develop in the axils of the scale leaves, and are simple or compound (depending on species).