Range of Dacrydium beccarii (1). Adapted from a map by
www.expediamaps.com
Common Names
"New Guinea: netukuria, New Britain, mejoop, Kebar valley; Taliabu: kawau; Borneo: kayu embun, Merurong Plateau, sempilor, Sarawak, Bintulu; Malaya: ekor kuda, Kedah; Sumatra: sampinur tali, Tapanuli" (1).Taxonomic notes
Corner described a variety, subelatum, subsequently assigned to D. elatum by de Laubenfels (1).Description
Tree: Shrub or small tree 1-20(35) m tall, profusely branched with the branches turned upward, often forming a dense umbrella- or dome-shaped crown (1).Shoots: Leaves are crowded so that shoots resemble a furry animal's tail (1).
Leaves: Juvenile leaves are nearly straight, linear-lanceolate, becoming gradually curved forward, strongly keeled on three sides, nearly flat on the axial surface, up to 17 mm long, 0.2 mm wide and 0.1 mm thick.
Adult leaves are spreading, bent slightly forward but the apiculate tips still directed slightly outward, triangular in cross section, 5-10 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, 0.2 mm thick, crowded, linear-lanceolate. Cones: Both lateral and terminal, subtended by about a dozen reduced leaves c. 1 mm long, the seed cone itself formed of a similar number of bracts up to 2 mm long and not completely covering the epimatium. There are 2(3) seeds fully exposed at the apex of the structure (1).
Pollen cones: Both lateral and terminal, 7-10 × 2.5-3 mm, subtended by a cluster of sterile 1-2 mm long bracts. Apex of the microsporophyll is a lanceolate spur c. 1 × 0.3 mm (1).
Seeds: Shiny, dark brown, c. 4 mm long (1).
Range
Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal); New Guinea (incl. Normanby I. & New Britain); Moluccas (Taliabu); Philippines (Mindanao; Negros; Biliran I.); and (mainly W.) Borneo to Malaya and N. Sumatra. "In the eastern part of the range there are only widely separated occurrences, and even in the western part they are somewhat discontinuous... Most common on mossy ridges where it is often dominant and also found rising above a low mixed mountain scrub, from 600-2500 m. A variety of soils such as sandy peat and andesite have been indicated" (1).Big Tree
Oldest
Dendrochronology
Ethnobotany
Observations
The tree occurs in montane ericaceous forests in the Taman Negara National Park (2), which may be an excellent place to find it.Remarks
Citations
(1) de Laubenfels 1988. (2) World Conservation Monitoring Centre: Taman Negara National Park.See also Dallimore & Jackson 1967 and Silba 1986.
[Dacrydium] [Podocarpaceae] [home]
This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2285/po/da_m/beccarii.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
E-mail:earlecj@earthlink.com
Last modified on 29-Jan-1999