A relatively rare species from southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina.It has been impacted by forest clearance and conversion for agriculture.
Distribution
Recorded from northeast Argentina: Missiones; and southern Brazil: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais. The extent of occurrence is well in excess of the thresholds for any threatened category.
Habitat and Ecology
The habitat type most commonly cited for Podocarpus lambertii is 'campo rupestre' ('rocky grassland') which is in actual fact a mosaic of different habitats, composed of usually stony fields with grasses and often also shrubs, wet or peaty areas, small and larger streams bordered with taller woody vegetation, or even with gallery forest. In the eastern States where this species occurs, it will be mostly gallery forest, which enters into the Atlantic Forest belt, especially in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Here P. lambertii approaches the Atlantic coast and may also occur, with or without P. sellowii, in the drier types of Atlantic Forest. Podocarpus lambertii is also found in rocky areas where rain run-off may provide sufficient moisture. Its small, narrow leaves are adapted to periods of drought. Few data are available indicating altitude: some collections were made from 900 m to 1,800 m a.s.l.
Human Uses
No commercial uses have been recorded for this small tree, of which the timber has not much value. It may be used locally for fence posts and most likely for firewood.
Conservation Status
Global Status
Near Threatened
Global Rationale
This species has a large range (extent of occurrence estimated from mapped herbarium specimens = 761,575 km2). The human footprint factor is fairly high (45) especially near the coast, where habitat and individual trees are likely to have disappeared. It is suspected that rates of population decline over three generations may approach the threshold (20-29%) for inclusion in a threatened category under criterion A and it is therefore warranted to flag this species as Near Threatened
Conservation Actions
The species has a limited distribution within protected areas such as Parque Estadual do Podocarpus in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The state government declares that the park was created "to protect forested areas where the Podocarpus lambertii is found"
References and further reading
Andrae, F. and Krapfenbauer, A. 1978. Die Vertalung der feinwurgelen von Sleineibe (Podocarpus lambertii) and schmalbattriger (Araucaria angustifolia). Centralblatt Für Ads Gesante Forstwesen 95(2): 71-86
Chebez, J.C. 1994. Los que se van. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Albatros
