''Podocarpus costalis'', locally known as ''arius'',dela Cruz, R
Potential food products from "Batanes berries" explored.
BAR Chronicle. Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippines. June, 2012. is a species of

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

in the family

Podocarpaceae Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pre ...

. It is native to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. This plant grows in island scrub, low forest, or in a limestone bluff or sea stack habitat, growing at elevations from sea level to nearly 300 meters. It is also widely cultivated as a garden plant. It is used in

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

. The fruit is edible. One threat to the survival of wild populations is overcollecting for horticulture; this practice is illegal throughout its native range. __TOC__

Description

''Podocarpus costalis'' is a small, shrubby tree, usually ranging from one to five meters high. It has bud of foliage two to four millimeters long. The plant it is often confused with ''P. polystachyus'' because of the similar habitats and leaves.

Conservation

The plant is endangered largely on account of its minuscule area of occupancy of about 24 square kilometers. It is limited to five islands and localities, and its growth is naturally limited to a specific habitat. It has also become endangered because of continual removal of mature plants for horticulture or as potted plants, depleting its population. The plants have been taken from the wild to be planted in gardens in Luzon and Taiwan, only increasing the rate of removal. Countries with the plant natively have legally protected it, with countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan making the collection of the plant from the wild illegal. Those interested in the plant have been advised to grow the plant by seed to avoid removing any more of the plants from their natural habitat.

References

costalis Endangered plants Flora of the Philippines Flora of Taiwan Plants used in bonsai Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{conifer-stub