Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae)


Podocarpus
Kim Bayne


Podocarpus archboldii
ANU Pollen G.Hope


Podocarpus spicatus C.Drew
UofAz Palynology

Plant:
Trees and shrubs with flat, pointed needles or scales. Male cones pendant, Female cones fleshy. Primarily distributed in the southern hemisphere, primarily Australasian, but also Caribbean.

Pollen light micrograph:
Vesiculate. uni-bisaccate. Podocarpus pollen varies from 40 - 80 µin maximum length. Compared to pine, fir, and spruce, the bladders are larger in proportion to the body, and the bladders are radially elongate. The bladders often have radial ridges. Other members of the Podocarpaceae are distinctive from Podocarpus. Dacrycarpus (not shown but illustrated by Jagudilla-Bulalaco [1997]) is small and irregularly uni-saccate. Dacrydium includes both bisaccate (right, Erdtman [1957]) and unisaccate (Jagudilla-Bulalaco [1997]) forms.

Pollen scanning electron micrograph (SEM)
The walls are smooth, and the much larger bladders than body are evident.

Fossil Occurrence:
This pollen type is present from the Paleozoic onward.

Production and Dispersal:
Abundant production, excellent dispersal.

Preservation:
Well preserved.

References:
    Erdtman, G. 1957.
    Pollen and Spore Morphology / Plant Taxonomy. Gymnospermae, Pteridophyta Bryophyta. Almqvist abd Wiksell. Stockholm.

    Fuhsiung, W., Nanfen, C., Yulong, Z, and Yang, H. 1995.
    Pollen flora of China, Second Edition. Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica.

    Jagudilla-Bulalacao, L., 1997.
    Pollen flora of the Philippines, Vol. 1. DOST-TAPI-SPU Technology Application and Promotion Institute.

    Jarvis, D.I. and Leopold, E.B., 1992.
    A photographic essay of pollen types of the mountainous regions of Southwest China. Botanical Research. 3(6): 303-326 33 plates.

    Heusser, C.J. 1971.
    Pollen and spores of Chile. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 167 p.

    Markgraf, V. and H. L. D'Antoni. 1978.
    Pollen flora of Argentina. University of Arizona Press, 208 p.

Links

Owen K. Davis 12/99