Breede River YellowWood
Podocarpus elongatus
Common names: Breeriviergeelhout, Westelike geelhout
SA Tree No: 15
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Size:
It is the smallest of the South African yellowwoods, commonly reaching no more than 6 m in height, although trees in sheltered, well-watered ravines can reach 20 m.
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Bark:
The bark is smooth, grey to brown, sometimes peeling longitudinally in long narrow strips.
Leaf:
Tough and leathery. They are spirally arranged and are usually crowded towards the ends of the shoots. Juvenile trees may have larger leaves. The foliage is blue-green or grey-green; trees from Clanwilliam and Ceres districts generally have more silvery-grey leaves than those from the Swellendam and Robertson districts.
Flower:
Male cones are about 25 x 3 mm, cream to pinkish when fresh and are solitary or in groups of 2 - 5 in leaf axils. They are made up of many spirally arranged scales, each scale bearing two pollen sacs on its lower surface.
Fruit:
Yellowwoods are dioecious, i.e. there are male trees and female trees. The receptacle is glaucous green turning to bright scarlet when the seed is ripe ageing to almost black. The seeds are smallish dark blue-green to dark violet berries with a leathery shell, 7-10 mm in diameter. The seeds mature rapidly and are on the trees in late summer to autumn (from January to May).
Growth Habit:
Unlike the other yellowwoods that are tall trees with long straight boles, Breede River yellowwoods are usually multi-stemmed and as broad as they are high.
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Habitat:
It is most often found growing in open, dry and exposed positions where it develops into a large gnarled bush or spreading shrub, or a small rounded tree.
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Wildlife:
The fruits on female trees will attract a variety of birds to the garden. The seeds are eaten and dispersed by small mammals and birds that relish the juicy brightly coloured receptacles..
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Distribution:
The only YellowWood endemic to southern Africa and confined to the winter-rainfall Western Cape . It occurs from the Van Rhynsdorp area in the north through the Cedarberg and Bokkeveld Mountains to Swellendam in the south.
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Uses:
Wood-turners and chair-makers used large quantities of it in the past, as did the wagon-builders around Swellendam.
Growing it...
The seed does not remain viable for long and should to be sown soon after it is ripe. Germinated seedlings have 2 cotyledons.
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Fresh seed must be sown soon after harvesting, in late summer-autumn. Refrigeration will extend the life of the seed but not beyond a few months. Many of them, particularly those that are produced first, are parasitised. Waiting and collecting the later seeds usually produces more viable seeds. Sow into deep (10 cm) trays and keep them moist and shaded. The young seedlings should be kept in the semi-shade for at least two years before transplanting. This tree can also be propagated by tip cuttings taken in spring and placed in a mist house, but we have found that they do not transplant easily
April Photo's
