The Podocarpus trees of Loja Ecuador's National Park

Podocarpus oleifolius

Podocarpus trees have been around for hundreds of millions of years, once inhabiting the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. When that land mass broke up, the trees traveled with the new continents to places around the globe and developed into a wide variety of species. Loja, Ecuador, has three of these species, and their once abundant presence is why there is a national park in their name: Parque Nacional Podocarpus, established in 1982.

The Loja Botanical Garden, founded in 1949 by Reinaldo Espinosa and the oldest in Ecuador, is adjacent to Podocarpus Park and has almost 1400 tree and plant species within seven hectares (17 acres). The Botanical Garden is an easy place to see Podocarpus trees. Many of the trees within the bounds of the national park were logged out prior to the establishment of the park and therefore require hiking into denser areas away from the road to find them.

Podocarpus trees were heavily harvested because they have a quality of wood (lumber) that is useful for a variety of projects, including house construction and fine furniture since it can take a fine polish. Generally, they are coniferous evergreens capable of attaining heights of 15 meters (50 feet) to as tall as 40m (130ft) depending on species and location. The trees propagate via birds eating the fleshy cones and the seeds are then dispersed in their droppings.

[Nerd alert! Sciencey stuff ahead...] The family of Podocarpaceae encompasses over 150 species of trees and shrubs within nineteen genera. The genus name of Podocarpus translates as "fruit with a foot."

Podocarpus glomeratus

1. Local names of the Podocarpus glomeratus species include romerillo, and intimpa (Quechua for tree of the sun). P.glomeratus will grow to about 20m in height, and have a diameter of 3m when mature. These trees were often used for firewood or charcoal.

 Podocarpus sprucei

2. Podocarpus sprucei is another species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. The wood of this species is much in demand as their slow growth results in a fine-grained wood. 

3. Podocarpus oleifolius of southern Ecuador are also coveted for their fine wood and natural populations are gradually disappearing, leading to them being reported as listed under threat criteria.

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