True yellowwood
Podocarpus latifolius

Family: Podocarpaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 25 m high and taller. The trunk is up to 1.2 m across. The crown is dark green. The bark is smooth when young but becomes split and peels when mature. The leaves are long and narrow. They can be 9 cm long by 1 cm wide. They are glossy green. The leaves are arranged in spirals. The leaves on young trees are always larger than on mature trees. The male trees has cones which are 2.5 cm long. The female tree develops a fleshy receptacle on which one or 2 round blue seeds develop. The receptacle swells and is pink when ripe. It is edible.

There are about 100 Podocarpus species. They are mostly in the tropics and subtropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In South Africa it grows from sea level up to 1800 m altitude. It grows in mountain forests. They can withstand frost. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. Arboretum Tasmania. Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tasmania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fleshy receptacle near the seeds is eaten fresh from ripe fruit. The leaves are used for flavouring and as a preservative.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves - flavouring

How it is grown

Seed should be sown when fresh. It is best to pick seed off the trees when ripe and plant them in a nursery. Seeds once they have dried out only germinate slowly.

Trees are rather slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Broad-leaved yellowwood, Mogobagoba, Monyaunyau, Mufhoho, Opregte geelhout, Real yellowwood, Rough-barked yellowwood, Umboka, Umgeya, Umkhobi, Umsonti, Upright yellowwood

Synonyms

Taxus latifolia Thunb.; Podocarpus milanjianus Rendle; Podocarpus thunbergii Hook.;