Prumnopitys is a genus of conifers in the family Podocarpaceae. It includes three species of densely branched, dioecious trees up to 40 metres in height, native to South America and New Zealand.
Etymology
The name Prumnopitys comes from the Ancient Greek prymnos (πρυμνός ‘hindmost’) and pitys (πίτυς ‘pine’), referring to the resin duct being behind the midrib.
Description
The leaves are similar to those of the yew, strap-shaped, 1–4 cm long and 2–3 mm broad, with a soft texture; they are green above, and with two blue-green stomatal bands below. The seed cones are highly modified, reduced to a central stem 1–5 cm long bearing several scales; one to five scales are fertile, each bearing a single seed surrounded by fleshy scale tissue, resembling a drupe. These berry-like cone scales are eaten by birds which then disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Distribution
The species are distributed on both sides of the Pacific, in New Zealand and along the mountain ranges of western South America from Chile to Venezuela. This distribution indicates the origins of Prumnopitys in the Antarctic flora, which evolved from the humid temperate flora of southern Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent.
Species
As of June 2025, Plants of the World Online accepts the following three species:
Prumnopitys andina (Poepp. ex Endl.) de Laub. – south-central and southern Chile and southern Argentina
Prumnopitys montana (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) de Laub. – northwestern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru
Prumnopitys taxifolia (Sol. ex D.Don) de Laub. – New Zealand
Six species formerly in Prumnopitys were placed in the new genus Pectinopitys in 2019, and many sources still include them in Prumnopitys.
Pectinopitys exigua (de Laub.) C.N.Page (as Prumnopitys exigua de Laub.)
Pectinopitys ferruginea (G.Benn. ex D.Don) C.N.Page (as Prumnopitys ferruginea (G.Benn. ex D.Don) de Laub.)
Pectinopitys ferruginoides (Compton)...
