# Plum Pines (*podocarpus*)

Plum Pines are tall trees with beautiful green needles that look like they belong in a fairy tale! They produce sweet, plum-like fruits that many animals love to eat.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Plum Pines are usually found in forests, especially in subtropical and tropical regions.
- **Also known as:** Podocarp, Podocarpus Tree

![Plum Pines](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Podocarpus_elongatus_Groot_Winterhoek_fruits_2.jpg&width=800)

Photo: S Molteno, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Podocarpus_elongatus_Groot_Winterhoek_fruits_2.jpg)

## Appearance

The Plum Pines is an evergreen conifer with dense, dark green, flattened needle-like leaves. It features distinctive, fleshy, often bright red or purple seed receptacles that resemble small berries, contrasting beautifully with its scaly, grey-brown bark.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Genus:** Quilmesaurus

## Interesting facts

- Despite its name, Plum Pines isn't a true pine; its 'plums' are actually modified cones!
- Some Plum Pines have ancient roots, thriving on Earth since the age of dinosaurs!
- The tasty part of a Plum Pine seed isn't a fruit, but a fleshy stem called a receptacle!
- They are found across continents, hinting at an ancient supercontinent called Gondwana!

## Special abilities

- **Fleshy Seed Attractor:** Plum Pines has bright, fleshy seed coverings that attract birds and other animals, helping them scatter seeds far and wide for new growth.
- **Wind Whisperers:** Plum Pines can release millions of tiny pollen grains into the wind, allowing them to pollinate other trees across vast distances.
- **Evergreen Photosynthesis:** Plum Pines keeps its leaves all year, allowing it to photosynthesize and grow even when other trees have lost their foliage.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 1000-3000 cm
- **Spread:** 300-1000 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — eats the fleshy seed receptacle for energy
- **Shelter:** [Great Tit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-tit) (*Parus major*) — nests in its dense foliage and branches
- **Symbiotic with:** Short-stemmed Russula (*Russula brevipes*) — forms beneficial root connections for nutrient exchange

## Traits

- [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Plum Pines?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Plum Pines?

1000-3000 cm

### How wide does Plum Pines spread?

300-1000 cm

### When does Plum Pines bloom?

Spring

### Is Plum Pines edible?

Yes

### Is Plum Pines toxic?

Mild

### What is Plum Pines's lifecycle?

Perennial

### How is Plum Pines pollinated?

Wind

## Where to spot

- [Ogi Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ogi-park) — Saga, JP · Park
- [Phelps Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/phelps-park) — Florida, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Plum Pines: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/plum-pines)