Podocarpus macrophyllus   

Japanese or Shrubby Yew, Podocarpus

Family: Podocarpaceae
Zone: 7-10                              Average Size: 15’H x 10’W

Identification: 

-Narrow, upright form, more pyramidal with age
-Flattened, stiff needle, 3-5 inches long with a distinct midrib, evergreen
-Purple-violet fruit usually with a waxy bloom that gives them a blue color on female plants
-Berry-like receptacle attached to the fruit, red

Note:   A popular evergreen shrub in the lower South used as a hedge or in narrow spaces where an upright form is desired. The Japanese Yew performs best with in full sun to part shade in well-drained soils. Older plants may be pruned to small evergreen trees. Many large specimens are found throughout the LSU campus, generally close to a building where it was maintained as a shrub in years past. The selection ‘Maki’ is more compact and shrub-like with smaller leaves.

Campus Location: Julian C. Miller Hall, south entry