Podocarpaceae

Podocarpaceae Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Podocarpus elatus Illawarra Plum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Araucariales
Family:	Podocarpaceae Endl.
Genera
See text
Synonyms
Acmopylaceae Melikian & Bobrov 1997 Bracteocarpaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Dacrycarpaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Dacrydiaceae Bobrov & Melikian 2000 Falcatifoliaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Halocarpaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Lepidothamnaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Microcachrydaceae Doweld & Reveal 1999 Microstrobaceae Doweld & Reveal 2001 Nageiaceae Fu 1992 Parasitaxaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Pherosphaeraceae Nakai 1938 Phyllocladaceae Bessey 1907 Prumnopityaceae Melikian & Bobrov 2000 Saxegothaeaceae Gaussen ex Doweld & Reveal 1999

Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.^[1] It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized. The family achieved its maximum diversity in the Cenozoic, making the Podocarpaceae family one of the most diverse in the southern hemisphere.

The family is a classic member of the Antarctic flora, with its main centres of diversity in Australasia, particularly New Caledonia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, and to a slightly lesser extent Malesia and South America (primarily in the Andes Mountains). Several genera extend north of the equator into Indochina and the Philippines. Podocarpus reaches as far north as southern Japan and southern China in Asia, and Mexico in the Americas, and Nageia into southern China and southern India. Two genera also occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the widespread Podocarpus and the endemic Afrocarpus.

Parasitaxus usta is unique as the only known parasitic gymnosperm. It occurs on New Caledonia, where it is parasitic on another member of the Podocarpaceae, Falcatifolium taxoides.^[2]

The genus Phyllocladus is sister to the Podocarpaceae sensu stricto.^[2] It is treated by some botanists in its own family, the Phyllocladaceae.^[3]

The Podocarpaceae show great diversity, both morphologically and ecologically. Members occur mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, with most genetic variety taking place in New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Species diversity of Podocarpus is found mainly in South America and the Indonesian islands, the latter also being rich in Dacrydium and Dacrycarpus species.

Podocarpus (with 82 to 100 species)^[1][4] and Dacrydium (with 21 species) are the largest genera. A few genera are common to New Zealand and South America, supporting the view that podocarps had an extensive distribution over southern Gondwanaland. The breaking up of Gondwanaland led to large-scale speciation of the Podocarpaceae.

Until 1970, only seven Podocarpaceae genera were recognized: Podocarpus, Dacrydium, Phyllocladus, Acmopyle, Microcachrys, Saxegothaea, and Pherosphaera. All four of the African species fell under Podocarpus – P. falcatus, P. elongatus, P. henkelii, and P. latifolius. Taxonomists divided Podocarpus species into eight species groups based on leaf anatomy: Afrocarpus J.Buchholz & N.E.Gray, Dacrycarpus Endl., Eupodocarpus Endl., Microcarpus Pilg., Nageia (Gaertn.) Endl., Polypodiopsis C.E.Bertrand (non Polypodiopsis Carriére nom. rej. prop. 6), Stachycarpus Endl. and Sundacarpus J.Buchholz and N.E.Gray.

Studies of embryology, gametophyte development, female cone structure, and cytology led to the belief that the eight categories probably deserved generic status. Researchers agreed on the need to recognize "fairly natural groupings which prove to have good geographic and probably evolutionary cohesion" and took the necessary steps to raise each section to generic status.^[5]

In 1990, a treatment of the Podocarpaceae recognized 17 genera, excluding Phyllocladus from the family, while recognizing Sundacarpus, but not Manoao.^[4] In 1995, Manoao was segregated from Lagarostrobus, based on morphological characteristics.^[6] In 2002, a molecular phylogenetic study showed Sundacarpus is embedded in Prumnopitys and the monophyly of Lagarostrobos is doubtful if Manoao is included within it.^[2] More recent treatments of the family have recognized Manoao, but not Sundacarpus.^[7]

Molecular evidence supports Podocarpaceae being the sister group to the Araucariaceae, and having diverged from it during the late Permian.^[8] While some fossils attributed to the family have been reported from the Late Permian and Triassic, like Rissikia, these cannot be unambiguously assigned to the family. The oldest unambiguous members of the family are known from the Jurassic period, found across both hemispheres, such as Scarburgia and Harrisiocarpus from the Middle Jurassic of England, as well as unnamed species from the Middle-Late Jurassic of Patagonia. Modern genera of the family first appeared during the Early Cretaceous, with the family probably reaching an apex of diversity during the early Cenozoic.^[9]

Studies based on anatomical, biogeographical, morphological, and DNA evidence suggest these relationships:

• Christopher J. Quinn and Robert A. Price. 2003. "Phylogeny of the Southern Hemisphere Conifers". Proceedings of the Fourth International Conifer Conference: 129–136. doi:10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.615.10

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Podocarpaceae.

Wikispecies has information related to Podocarpaceae.

• Podocarpaceae At The Gymnosperm Database