Acmopyle sahniana

Podocarpaceae Acmopyle sahniana J.T. Buchholz & N.E. Gray

Etymology
Acmopyle refers to ‘highest point’ (akme) and ‘opening’ (pyle); indicating the position of it’s seed on a fleshy receptacle.
sahniana refers to Prof. B. Sahni, who researched Acmopyle.

Colloquial Name
Fijian acmopyle

Description
These trees are relatively small, reaching up to 12 meters in height, with a single main trunk that can grow up to 20 centimeters in diameter. The bark is mostly smooth, though it may develop small bumps, starting off brown and gradually weathering to grey. The inner bark is reddish and has a somewhat fibrous texture. The branches are sparse and spread outward, forming a crown that is about half as wide as the tree is tall. Most of the foliage is concentrated towards the ends of the branches.

The smaller branches that hold the leaves are round in cross-section and have tiny, outward-pointing leaf tips. The leaves are arranged in a spiral pattern along the branch, with their bases extending slightly down the stem. The final branchlets that bear the leaves are 2 to 6 centimeters long, sometimes reaching up to 12 centimeters. They grow alternately along the larger branches and are usually angled. After a few years, they naturally fall off. Near the base, the leaves are small and scale-like, but they suddenly change into a more comb-like arrangement as they extend outward.

The leaves on both young and mature trees are similar, arranged alternately along the branches and sticking out at angles between 60 and 90 degrees. They are generally straight but often curve slightly towards their tips, and on vigorous branches, they may develop a gentle S-shape. In the middle of the branchlets, the leaves measure between 10 and 25 millimeters long and 2 to 4 millimeters wide, sometimes slightly smaller or larger. They become gradually smaller near the base and tip of the branchlets. Their bases are slightly twisted and extend down the stem. The edges curl downward, and the tips are pointed and curve forward. A narrow midrib runs along the center of each leaf, faint on the upper surface but more prominent underneath. The upper surface is glossy and dark green, while the underside has two whitish bands separated by a green midrib, with additional green coloring along the edges. Small openings called stomata, which allow gas exchange, are present on both surfaces of the leaf. They appear in interrupted lines, with some along the midrib on the lower side and a few near the base or tip on the upper side.

The pollen cones, which produce pollen, grow at the tips or near the ends of small lateral branches. They can appear alone or in pairs, sitting directly on the branch or on very short stalks. At first, they are round but lengthen as they mature, growing to 5 to 8 millimeters long and about 1.5 millimeters wide when fully developed. The small overlapping structures that make up the cones have a ridge along their backs and are sharply pointed. As they mature, they spread outward and contain two small pollen sacs at their base.

The seed cones grow in similar locations to the pollen cones, either at the tips or along small lateral branches. Sometimes, they appear at the base of scale-like leaves or among the regular foliage leaves. They are usually solitary and grow on short, curved stalks up to 6 millimeters long, covered in small scale-like leaves. The cone itself consists of a few sterile scales and one or sometimes two fertile ones, which are fused together to form a fleshy, swollen structure. This structure is irregular in shape, covered in small bumps, and may be green or purple. It reaches about 7 to 9 millimeters in length and 7 to 8 millimeters in width.

Each seed cone produces a single seed at the top of the fleshy structure. The seed is oval-shaped, measuring 7 to 9 millimeters long and 5 to 6 millimeters wide, including its protective outer covering. As it matures, it develops fine ridges and takes on a greyish-violet color with a whitish, powdery coating.

Distribution

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TDWG Codes
6, 60, FIJ

Habitat
The natural habitats for Acmopyle sahniana are subtropical/tropical moist montane forests. It is naturally found at an elevation of at least 1100 up to 1100 metres. There are no conifers associated with Acmopyle sahniana that are known of.

USDA Hardiness zone – 10
Acmopyle sahniana is hardy to USDA Zone 10 (Bannister & Neuner, 2001), meaning its frost tolerance lies somewhere in the range of -1.1C (30F) to 4.4C (40F).

Species Continuity
The population trend for Acmopyle sahniana is decreasing. Currently, there exist about 150-250 mature specimen. There are ongoing threats for Acmopyle sahniana and they are listed as follows:

• 1 Habitat Loss & Degradation
  • 1.1 Agriculture & Forestry
  • 1.2 Urban & Infrastructure Development
• 2 Overexploitation & Resource Use
  • 2.1 Logging & Wood Harvesting
  • 2.3 Mining & Quarrying
• 3 Climate Change & Natural Disasters
  • 3.1 Drought & Temperature Extremes
  • 3.3 Habitat Shifting & Alteration
  • 3.2 Storms / Flooding & Other Events
• 4 Invasive Species / Pathogens & Genetic Risks
  • 4.1 Invasive Non-Native Species & Diseases

IUCN Category – CR
According to the IUCN Red List, Acmopyle sahniana has been assigned the status of CR(Critically Endangered). This means that according to the Red List criteria, this species qualifies as Critically endangered and is on the brink of being extinct in the wild.

Superordinate Taxa
The nearest superordinate taxon for Acmopyle sahniana is Acmopyle. The coordinate taxa for Acmopyle sahniana are therefore:

Acmopyle sahniana is also placed under Podocarpaceae.

This map shows botanical records (points) for this taxon. By opening the map’s sidebar (collapsed by default) you can toggle visibility or change the basemap. By clicking on records, you reveal more information.