Podocarpaceae

Podocarpus lambertii Klotzsch

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

  1. 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
  2. Chebez, J.C. 1994. Los que se van. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Albatros
  3. Farjon, A. 2013. Podocarpus lambertii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T34086A2844519. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T34086A2844519.en. Downloaded on 04 August 2017.
  4. Reitz, P.R. and Klein, R.M. 1966. Flora Illustrada Catarinense Araucariaceae. Itaja, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

External links