Retrophyllum minus

Retrophyllum minus, the bois bouchon, is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia.^[1]

Retrophyllum minus
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Araucariales
Family:	Podocarpaceae
Genus:	Retrophyllum
Species:	R. minus
Binomial name
Retrophyllum minus (Carrière) C.N.Page
Retrophyllum minus is native to New Caledonia[2]
Synonyms[2]
Decussocarpus minus (Carrière) de Laub. Nageia minor Carrière Podocarpus minus (Carrière) Parl. Podocarpus palustris J.Buchholz

Description

Juvenile foliage.

It is a sparsely branched small tree rarely exceeding ten feet (three meters in height)^[3] with a flared trunk remindful of Bald Cypress and water Tupelo which tapers towards the top and has rough bark.^[4] It produces pear-shaped fruits that are dark-red when mature.^[4]

Habitat

Retrophyllum minus in its natural habitat

The species occurs near rivers and lakes of the Plaine des Lakes in the south of Grande Terre.^[4] It is a rheophyte (grows in running water), the only such conifer known.^[5]

Conservation

It is threatened by habitat loss to mining and wildfire.^[1] It is a protected species.^[6]