Podocarpus Gracilior - 0.5 kg Seeds

The African Fern Pine (Podocarpus gracilior, also placed in Afrocarpus) is a slow-growing evergreen conifer with soft, narrow, fern-like deep-green foliage and a dense, neat habit. Unlike true pines it bears its seeds in small fleshy fruits rather than cones. It is a favourite landscape and ornamental tree, valued for its clean, non-invasive roots and its readiness to be clipped into hedges, screens and topiary for gardens, courtyards and avenues.

It grows well in the warm and subtropical parts of India in full sun to part shade, on well-drained soils, tolerating pruning, container culture and urban conditions. The fine timber is durable but the tree is grown here chiefly for amenity and screening.

• Family: Podocarpaceae
• Native region: Highlands of East Africa
• Mature height: 15-20 m (often kept much smaller by clipping)
• Growth rate: Slow

Clean the fleshy coat from the seeds and soak them in water for 1-2 days before sowing. Sow about 1-2 cm deep in a moist, well-drained mix kept warm and shaded; germination is slow and uneven, often taking a month or more. Grow the seedlings on in light shade and transplant once they are sturdy.