Podocarpus macrophyllus f. macrophyllus ("Rakanmaki")

Japanese name: ラカンマキ （羅漢槇）
Scientific name: Podocarpus macrophyllus f. macrophyllus

[Overview]
An evergreen coniferous small tree or tree, usually about 5 m tall.
The bark is grayish white and peels off in fine, thin vertical flakes.
The leaves are simple and alternate, somewhat dense and tending to point upward, linear, 4–8 cm long and 0.4–0.8 cm wide, with a conspicuous midrib.
The leaf margins are entire.
It is dioecious.
The male flowers are pale yellowish brown, with many stamens gathered into a cylinder 3 cm long, borne in clusters of 3–5 in the leaf axils.
The female flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, with a swollen tip bearing one ovule.
The seeds are green and covered with a white bloom, and are borne in a row, in a shape like a daruma doll, together with the receptacle, which ripens to reddish purple.
The seeds are poisonous, but the receptacle is sweet and edible.
In shade or wet places, the seeds sometimes take root while still on the tree.

[Uses]
The wood is resistant to water and is used for utensils and similar items.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
Remove the red receptacle from the seeds and sow them immediately, or store them so they do not dry out and sow in spring.
It is planted from the coastal areas of the southern Tohoku region to Okinawa, but in central and northern Kanto it is often damaged by cold wind.
It is suited to warm regions, and young trees in particular have weak cold hardiness.
It is not particular about soil as long as the site is sunny and well drained.
It tolerates shade.
It tolerates wet ground and sea breeze, but weakens in dry places.
For potted plants and plants in the ground for less than 2 years, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for established plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter, in holes dug around the plant.
It tolerates pruning and is easy to trim into shape, but in cold regions finish by around October.
Pests and diseases include pestalotia disease and the Chinese-character geometrid moth (Kiobi-edashaku).

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