Practical
Plants

Prumnopitys andina

Plum-Fruited Yew

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Prumnopitys genus in the family Podocarpaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
slow
Height
15 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2][4][5]. Aromatic with a taste like the sweetwater grape[3][8]. The fruit is up to 20mm long and 15mm wide, it contains one seed[7]. Seed[3][10]. No more details are given.

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is very tolerant of trimming and can be grown as a hedge[1][9][7]. Wood. Used to make furniture[4].

Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Secondary canopy

Hedge

Environment

Range
S. America - S. Chile.
Habitat
Humid woods between the coast and the hills[4], between latitudes 36 and 40°south[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - it can be sown at any time of the year in a sandy soil in a greenhouse[1]. It can take 18 months to germinate[7]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/august in a frame. Easy[1]. Cuttings of ripe wood with a heel in late summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Thrives in any good soil, including chalk[3][10]. Requires a sheltered position[3]. A very ornamental plant[1], but it is in general very slow growing in Britain[3][10], though slightly faster in the south-west[6]. Plants are usually dioecious though monoecious forms are known. Male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruit are required. The fruits are fragrant[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  4. ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish)

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩1↩2

  9. Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0900629649

    ↩

  10. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

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