Podocarpus neriifolia

Podocarpus neriifolius is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family. It is the most widespread species of the Podocarpus genus. It reaches a height of 10-15 meters, although occasionally it can exceed them in tropical and subtropical forests. In the Elephant Mountains of Cambodia there are dwarf forms that reach 2-4 metres high.

Podocarpus, from the Greek podos = foot, and karpos = fruit, because the fruits are born with a fleshy consistency. Neriifolius, of the genus Nerium and folium-ii = leaf, with leaves similar to those of the oleander.

It can be found in India, Nepal, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji.

The trade in this species has been regulated by the CITES Convention since 1975, at the request of Nepal, which requires certificates and permits to export timber from that country. It has a yellowish wood and is used in Cambodia for construction, where it is classified as second category (not as good as the first category, but superior to others).

It has a greyish-brown fibrous bark, which is exfoliated, and the extended branches are sometimes arranged in whorls. The leaves are alternate, coriaceous, lanceolate, with the cuneate base on a short petiole and an acuminate apex. They are bright, dark green in the midrib and more pale on the back with a leathery texture, with the central vein marked in the midrib and on the underside. Male cones are alone or in groups of 2-3, sessile, 2.5-5 cm long; Axillary female cones, solitary, on a 1-2 cm long peduncle. It is a monoecious species.