''Podocarpus nakaii'' 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

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

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 ...

, scattered in broad-leaf forests in the central part of this island. Ponesterone, which is similar to insect's moulting hormone ecdysone, is obtained from this plant. It was the first ecdysone isolated by Nkanishi et al. According to the survey results of the sample area, there are about 100 Podocarpus nakaii per hectare. The diameter at breast height of the largest plant is about 30 cm, but nearly 90% of the trees have a diameter at breast height of less than 10 cm; the height of the trees is less than 10 meters. These characteristics show that the Podocarpus nakaii is a shade-tolerant species in the lower layer of the forest. The young seedlings are protected by the big trees and can grow well under the shade of the big trees. Podocarpus nakaii is a good garden plant because of its beautiful tree shape and lovely bright red receptacles. In addition, according to scholars’ chemical analysis and related activity tests, its bark is considered to have anti-cancer potential. File:桃實百日青 Podocarpus nakaii 20211023083803 13.jpg, The new leaves are red, mature leaves are evergreen all year round. File:桃實百日青 Podocarpus nakaii 20211023083803 03.jpg, Peach-shaped receptacle and epimatium File:桃實百日青 Podocarpus nakaii 20211023083803 09.jpg, Bark has anticancer potential. File:桃實百日青 Podocarpus nakaii 20211023083803 07.jpg, Plant

References

nakaii Endangered plants Endemic flora of Taiwan Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Plants described in 1916 {{conifer-stub