  Range of Dacrydium nidulum (1). Adapted from a map by  www.expediamaps.com | Dacrydium nidulum de Laubenfels 1969Common Names"New Guinea: chawènum, kasuari, kwennum, Arfak, Maibrat lang., tjikwal, Hattam lang., jammari, Wandammen, samiampi, Japen, Roberbai dial., kun, Eipomek valley, Irian, ibaro, Upper Waria, binban, Oriomo, nidjon, Kebar valley, nipaj, Karoon lang., Arfak, uier, west of Hollandia, Itik lang." (1).Taxonomic notesDe Laubenfels (2) described Dacrydium nidulum var. araucarioides but subsequently (1) assigned the variety to a new species, D. cornwalliana.Description"Tree 10 to 30 m tall, 18-50 cm diam., with numerous branchlets forming a dense crown. Juvenile leaves up to 2 cm long, slightly curved forward, acute, triangular in cross section, 0.2 mm wide and less thick. Adult leaves not crowded (leaf tips distant from adjacent leaves), nearly straight to distinctly curved so that the apex is parallel with the shoot, abruptly acute to blunt, often apiculate, 1-5 mm long but mostly 2-3.5 mm, triangular in cross section, strongly keeled on the back, 0.3-0.7 mm wide and 0.2-0.3 mm thick. Fertile structures terminal but pollen cones may also be lateral. Pollen cones 8-18 mm long and 1-1.6 mm diam. Microsporophylls 0.8-1.2 mm long. Seed-bearing structure subtended by leaves distinctly shorter than normal foliage leaves, as short as 1.5 mm; cone bracts increasing towards the apex where one or two may be fertile, up to 4 mm long and completely surrounding the epimatium but surpassed by the apex of the mature seed which is 3.5-4 mm long and glossy brown" (1).RangeW Polynesia (Fiji); throughout New Guinea (incl. Normanby & Japen Is.) to the Moluccas (Halmaheira); C & SE Celebes; the Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumba). "Common in the western parts of New Guinea, but elsewhere populations are mostly rather isolated. A canopy tree of primary and sometimes secondary rain-forest from sea-level to 1200 m but mostly under 600 m" (1).Big TreeOldestDendrochronologyEthnobotanyObservationsRemarks"There is some variation between the different widely distributed populations. In the Cycloop Mts and in Fiji the leaves are not apiculate and, particularly in Fiji, the leaves arc nearly straight. Variations in length seem to be mainly a function of age or exposure, with younger and protected plants tending to have longer leaves" (1).Citations(1) de Laubenfels 1988.(2) de Laubenfels 1969 (p.289). See also: |
[Dacrydium] [Podocarpaceae] [home] This page is from the Gymnosperm Database |