Research directed by C. Daehler (UH Botany) with funding from the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and US Forest Service

Information on Risk Assessments
Original risk assessment

Podocarpus gracilior (Synonyms: Afrocarpus gracilior Podocarpus falcutus sensu hort, Afrocarpus falcatus sensu hort). East African yellowwood, African fern pine, weeping podocarpus, fern podocarpus, weeping yew

Answer

1.01

Is the species highly domesticated?

y=-3, n=0

n

1.02

Has the species become naturalized where grown?

y=-1, n=-1

n

1.03

Does the species have weedy races?

y=-1, n=-1

n

2.01

Species suited to tropical or subtropical climate(s) (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) – If island is primarily wet habitat, then substitute “wet tropical” for “tropical or subtropical”

See Append 2

2

2.02

Quality of climate match data (0-low; 1-intermediate; 2-high) see appendix 2

2

2.03

Broad climate suitability (environmental versatility)

y=1, n=0

n

2.04

Native or naturalized in regions with tropical or subtropical climates

y=1, n=0

y

2.05

Does the species have a history of repeated introductions outside its natural range? y=-2

?=-1, n=0

y

3.01

Naturalized beyond native range y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2), n= question 2.05

n

3.02

Garden/amenity/disturbance weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

3.03

Agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

3.04

Environmental weed y = 2*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

3.05

Congeneric weed y = 1*multiplier (see Append 2)

n=0

n

4.01

Produces spines, thorns or burrs

y=1, n=0

n

4.02

Allelopathic

y=1, n=0

n

4.03

Parasitic

y=1, n=0

n

4.04

Unpalatable to grazing animals

y=1, n=-1

y

4.05

Toxic to animals

y=1, n=0

n

4.06

Host for recognized pests and pathogens

y=1, n=0

n

4.07

Causes allergies or is otherwise toxic to humans

y=1, n=0

y

4.08

Creates a fire hazard in natural ecosystems

y=1, n=0

n

4.09

Is a shade tolerant plant at some stage of its life cycle

y=1, n=0

y

4.1

Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (or limestone conditions if not a volcanic island)

y=1, n=0

n

4.11

Climbing or smothering growth habit

y=1, n=0

n

4.12

Forms dense thickets

y=1, n=0

n

5.01

Aquatic

y=5, n=0

n

5.02

Grass

y=1, n=0

n

5.03

Nitrogen fixing woody plant

y=1, n=0

n

5.04

Geophyte (herbaceous with underground storage organs -- bulbs, corms, or tubers)

y=1, n=0

n

6.01

Evidence of substantial reproductive failure in native habitat

y=1, n=0

n

6.02

Produces viable seed.

y=1, n=-1

y

6.03

Hybridizes naturally

y=1, n=-1

6.04

Self-compatible or apomictic

y=1, n=-1

n

6.05

Requires specialist pollinators

y=-1, n=0

n

6.06

Reproduction by vegetative fragmentation

y=1, n=-1

n

6.07

Minimum generative time (years) 1 year = 1, 2 or 3 years = 0, 4+ years = -1

See left

4

7.01

Propagules likely to be dispersed unintentionally (plants growing in heavily trafficked areas)

y=1, n=-1

n

7.02

Propagules dispersed intentionally by people

y=1, n=-1

y

7.03

Propagules likely to disperse as a produce contaminant

y=1, n=-1

n

7.04

Propagules adapted to wind dispersal

y=1, n=-1

n

7.05

Propagules water dispersed

y=1, n=-1

n

7.06

Propagules bird dispersed

y=1, n=-1

y

7.07

Propagules dispersed by other animals (externally)

y=1, n=-1

7.08

Propagules survive passage through the gut

y=1, n=-1

y

8.01

Prolific seed production (>1000/m2)

y=1, n=-1

n

8.02

Evidence that a persistent propagule bank is formed (>1 yr)

y=1, n=-1

y

8.03

Well controlled by herbicides

y=-1, n=1

8.04

Tolerates, or benefits from, mutilation, cultivation, or fire

y=1, n=-1

y

8.05

Effective natural enemies present locally (e.g. introduced biocontrol agents)

y=-1, n=1

Total score:

0

Notes

Source

1.01

No evidence

1.02

No evidence of naturalization.

1.03

No evidence

2.01

Native to AFRICA: East Tropical Africa: Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda
Northeast Tropical Africa: Ethiopia

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Podocarpus+gracilior

2.02

No evidence of naturalization and other introductions besides in California.

2.03

(1)Hardiness range 10A - 11 (2)Afromontane Forest plant (3)There is a cloud forest belt at 2,000 to 2,500 m in the south, while in drier locations (particularly on steep hillsides) the forest consists of Podocarpus falcatus [Ethiopia] (4)Range 1500-3000 m -- The tree can be found in coastal swamp forest, transitional rainforest and dry evergreen forest. Frequent seen as a single tree in grassland or farmland in areas with sufficient rainfall. A humid and warm climate is preferable; in dry and hot areas plantations fail. It can tolerate moderate frost but not drought. (5)restricted to humid highlands. [borderline]

(1)http://www.hortpix.com/pc207.htm (2)http://www.baviaans.net/wildlife_4.html (3)http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at1007_full.html (4)http://ecocrop.fao.org/ (5)http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/programs/urbanhort/publications/PDF/Ornamental%20African%20Plants.PDF

2.04

Native to AFRICA: East Tropical Africa: Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda
Northeast Tropical Africa: Ethiopia

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Podocarpus+gracilior

2.05

(1)Introduced to California (2)Florida (3)Hawaii (4)India (5)Australia

(1)http://shop.store.yahoo.com/classicnursery91335/podocarpus.html (2)http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PODFALA.pdf (3)www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/L-13.pdf (4)http://www.nativenursery.com.au/messageboard/ (5)http://www.cp.nsw.gov.au/research/treelist.htm

3.01

No evidence of naturalization.

3.02

No evidence

3.03

No evidence

3.04

No evidence

3.05

No evidence

4.01

No thorns

http://www.growit.com/bin/PltInfo1.exe?MyPlant=698

4.02

No evidence

4.03

No evidence

4.04

not recognized as a fodder plant

http://ecocrop.fao.org/

4.05

No evidence

4.06

The following 5 fungi were found to be associated with P. gracilior : Actinomucor repens: Kenya - 6774
Calonectria capensis: South Africa - 8029
Chlorosplenium aeruginosum: Kenya - 6774
Corynelia uberata: East Africa - 7983; Kenya - 6774; South Africa - 8029
Irene podocarpi: South Africa - 8029
Did not find any of the above to have economic importance.

http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/all/FindRecOneFungusFrame.cfm

4.07

(1)Edible fruits (2)AB: Thirty-six symptomatic patients, with positive skin reactions to Cupressus sempervirens pollen extract were skin-tested with pollen extracts of Podocarpus gracilior and Callitris verrucosa, of these 17 (47%) had positive responses to P. gracilior, nine (25%) to C. verrucosa, and six (17%) to both. None of the non-atopic healthy controls had positive reactions to either of the extracts. Radioallergosorbent test (RAST)-inhibition studies were performed with pooled sera from three patients. Fifty per cent inhibition was obtained with 11 mu-g protein of C. sempervirens, 54 mu-g of P. gracilior, and 71 mu-g of C. verrucosa; however, when pollen extract of Olea europaea, an unrelated allergen, was tested, 265 mu-g protein were needed to obtain 50% inhibition. One-dimension sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of pollen extracts from the three species revealed that they had several very similar protein bands. Using Western blot analysis, several close

(1)http://www.growit.com/bin/PltInfo1.exe?MyPlant=698 (2)TI: Podocarpus gracilior and Callitris verrucosa-newly identified allergens that crossreact with Cupressus sempervirens. AU: Dayan-Y-Bar; Keynan-N; Waisel-Y; Pick-A-I; Tamir-R SO: Clinical-and-Experimental-Allergy. 1995; 25 (5) 456-460..

4.08

Probably not - An evergreen tree.

http://www.cuyamaca.net/oh170/Characteristic%20Pages/Afrocarpus_gracilior.htm

4.09

(1)prefers partial shade or partial sun to full sun (2) Full sun (3)'We studied the responses to light and nutrient availability of the two Afromontane conifers Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl., reputedly a shade-intolerant species, and Afrocarpus gracilior Polger C.N. Page, a shade-tolerant species.' (4)Grows in full sun or the shade on the north side of a building.

(1)http://www.hortpix.com/pc207.htm (2)http://www.cuyamaca.net/oh170/Characteristic%20Pages/Afrocarpus_gracilior.htm (3)http://heronpublishing.com/tree/summaries/volume16/a16-617.html (Tree Physiology, 16:617–626 © 1996 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada). (4)http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PODFALA.pdf

4.1

(1)Soil Type(s) Preferred: Sandy, Well-Drained, Alkaline, Drought/Dry, Clay, Tolerates Acid (2)prefers a rich, moist soil (3)Light soil, high fertility

(1)http://www.growit.com/bin/PltInfo1.exe?MyPlant=698 (2)http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PODFALA.pdf (3)http://ecocrop.fao.org/

4.11

Probably not - not a vine.

http://www.cuyamaca.net/oh170/Characteristic%20Pages/Afrocarpus_gracilior.htm

4.12

No evidence

5.01

Terrestrial

5.02

Medium size tree, 25 to 75 ft tall. (Podocarpaceae)

http://www.cuyamaca.net/oh170/Characteristic%20Pages/Afrocarpus_gracilior.htm

5.03

No evidence

5.04

No evidence

6.01

No evidence

6.02

(1)Plants grown from seedlings are usually sold as Podocarpus gracilior. (2)Propagation: Seeds, cuttings (3)AB: The seedling establishment of Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. and Afrocarpus gracilior (Pilger) C. N. Page was assessed in the Afromontane forests of Ethiopia. Percent light transmission, litter depth and percentage cover of vegetation were assessed for seedling microsites in five sites with different levels and history of disturbance. The response of natural and artificial regeneration to burning, mechanical scarification (removal of all logging waste and ground vegetation) and cultivation following clear felling and timber extraction was assessed 19 months after treatment. There was no evidence that regeneration was correlated with light intensity. Despite the presence of a viable seed bank in the undisturbed forest floor, removal of the overstorey vegetation by clear felling did not encourage natural regeneration of J. procera. This suggests that light may not be the main factor limiting reg

(1)http://shop.store.yahoo.com/classicnursery91335/podocarpus.html (2)http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Podocarpaceae/Podocarpus_gracilior.html (3)TI: Effects of ground preparation and microenvironment on germination and natural regeneration of Juniperus procera and Afrocarpus gracilior in Ethiopia.
AU: Sharew-Hailu; Legg-Colin-J {a}; Grace-John SO: Forest-Ecology-and-Management. 1997; 93 (3) 215-225..

6.03

No evidence

6.04

AB: The dioecious anemophilous species Podocarpus falcatus is infrequent in the species-rich Knysna Forest. A study of all individuals >100 mm d.b.h. in a 22.7-ha area revealed 'fruits' below female trees located up to 70 m away from male trees. This distance is more than twice that previously suggested as a maximum for wind pollination, and suggests that anemophilous species could produce outcrossed progeny in species-rich communities.

Midgley, J. (1989) Pollen dispersal distances for a conifer canopy species in the Knysna Forest. South African Journal of Botany, 1989, Vol.55, No.6, pp.662-663, 11 ref.

6.05

"anemophilous species"

Midgley, J. (1989) Pollen dispersal distances for a conifer canopy species in the Knysna Forest. South African Journal of Botany, 1989, Vol.55, No.6, pp.662-663, 11 ref.

6.06

No evidence of vegetative spread in the wild.

6.07

(1)grows very slowly [minimum for a slow growing large tree] (2)Mean seedlng height after 3 years was only 2-2.5 m

(1)http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PODFALA.pdf (2)http://honeybee.helsinki.fi/tropic/eshetudiss.pdf

7.01

No evidence that the propagules have any means of attachment.

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/po/na/falcatus.htm

7.02

Probably yes - 'Planting Use(s) Recommended: Patio Tree, Screen, Provides Shade, Specimen Plant, Espalier.'

http://www.growit.com/bin/PltInfo1.exe?MyPlant=698

7.03

Probably not - relatively large seed. 'Seed subspherical to obovoid, (1.2-) 1.3-1.7 (-1.8) cm long, glaucous to greyish-green, ripening to a yellowish or light reddish-brown colour; testa consisting of outer somewhat fleshy covering up to 3 mm thick which becomes very resinous inwards, and inside this a subspherical, somewhat laterally compressed tubercled kernel 1-1.2 (-1.4) cm long with hard woody walls (0.8-) 1-1.7 (-2) mm thick" (4).

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/po/na/falcatus.htm

7.04

Probably not - seeds relatively large and no evidence of any adpatation for wind dispersal.

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/po/na/falcatus.htm

7.05

Probably not - no evidence that this species grows near waterways.

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/po/na/falcatus.htm

7.06

Ripe fruits are eaten by bats, bushpigs, fruit-eating birds (Cape parrots, purple-crested, Knysna and Ross's louries, Rameron, African green and Delagorgue's pigeons).

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/podocarpfalcat.htm

7.07

AB: "P . falcatus produces a heavy fruit, but invests mostly in dispersal (with a yellow fleshy pulp or epimatium enclosing the seed) and protective tissue (stony shell or sclerotesta) and very little into endosperm food reserves for the embryo. The structure of the P. falcatus fruit is related to adaptation for protection during seed dispersal by bats. " [don't know if seeds are carried internally or externally]

Geldenhuys, C. J. (1993) Reproductive biology and population structures of Podocarpus falcatus and P. latifolius in southern Cape forests. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 1993, Vol.112, No.1, pp.59-74, 80 ref.

7.08

Ripe fruits are eaten by bats, bushpigs, fruit-eating birds (Cape parrots, purple-crested, Knysna and Ross's louries, Rameron, African green and Delagorgue's pigeons).

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/podocarpfalcat.htm

8.01

Probably not - relatively large seed. 'Seed subspherical to obovoid, (1.2-) 1.3-1.7 (-1.8) cm long, glaucous to greyish-green, ripening to a yellowish or light reddish-brown colour; testa consisting of outer somewhat fleshy covering up to 3 mm thick which becomes very resinous inwards, and inside this a subspherical, somewhat laterally compressed tubercled kernel 1-1.2 (-1.4) cm long with hard woody walls (0.8-) 1-1.7 (-2) mm thick" (4).

http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/earle/po/na/falcatus.htm

8.02

AB: " Seeds of Bersama abyssinica and Ekebergia capensis germinated in the soil almost completely within a year after burial. Seeds of Juniperus procera , Olea europaea and Podocarpus falcatus also germinated to a substantial degree in the soil but with a distribution over several years, and some seeds of these species remained viable at the end of the 4-yr period. B. abyssinica , E. capensis , J. procera , O. europaea and P. falcatus form seedling banks on the forest floor and lack persistent soil seed reserves in contrast to A. abyssinica , C. macrostachys and I. rothii which accumulate reserves of long-lived seeds in the soil. "

Demel Teketay; Granström, A. (1997) Seed viability of Afromontane tree species in forest soils. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 1997, Vol.13, No.1, pp.81-95, 46 ref.

8.03

No evidence that the species is being controlled for.

8.04

(1)If your plant becomes unruly... just trim it back to the desired shape. (2)Can be pruned to a bushy shrub or hedge.

(1)http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/podograc.htm (2)http://www.csupomona.edu/~froth/hor231/plantlist5.html

8.05

Don’t know.