Podocarpus henkelii (Henkel's yellowwood)

Henkel-se-geelhout [Afrikaans]

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Gymnospermae > Coniferophyta > Podocarpaceae > Genus: Podocarpus

Grows as a large tree to a maximum height of about 30 m.

Distribution and habitat

Occurs mainly in Afromontane forests, and less commonly coastal forests, of the northern Eastern Cape, southern KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Lesotho.

Derivation of name

Dr John Henkel was Conservator of Forests for Natal and was also once Chief of the Division of Forestry in Zimbabwe (Palgrave and Palgrave 2002). He also wrote a book, published in 1934, entitled A Field Book of the Woody Plants of Natal and Zululand.

Uses

• The yellow-coloured wood is evidently of a high quality but has been used to only a limited extent because of limited availability (van Wyk and van Wyk 1997).

• Grown as a garden ornamental tree.

References

• Palgrave, K.C. and Palgrave, M.C. 2002. Trees of Southern Africa. 3rd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
• Palmer, E. and Pitman, N. 1972. Trees of Southern Africa covering all known indigenous species in the Republic of South Africa, South-West Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Volume 1. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town.
• van Wyk, B. and van Wyk, P. 1997. Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.

Text by Hamish Robertson