Nageia nagi (Thunb.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 798 (1891)

Synonyms
Agathis veitchii (Henkel & W.Hochst.) Seward & Ford
Dammara veitchii Henkel & W.Hochst.
Decussocarpus nagi (Thunb.) de Laub.
Nageia caesia (Maxim.) Kuntze
Nageia cuspidata (Endl.) Gordon
Nageia grandifolia (Endl.) Gordon
Nageia grandilolia (Endl.) Gordon
Nageia japonica Gaertn. [Illegitimate]
Nageia ovata Gordon
Podocarpus caesius Maxim.
Podocarpus cuspidatus Endl.
Podocarpus grandifolius Endl.
Podocarpus japonicus J. Nelson [Illegitimate]
Podocarpus nageia R.Br. ex Endl. [Illegitimate]
Podocarpus nageia R. Br. ex Mirb.
Podocarpus nagi (Thunb.) Pilg.
Podocarpus nagi (Thunb.) Makino
Podocarpus nagi (Thunb.) Zoll. & Mor. ex Zoll.
Podocarpus nagi var. caesius (Maxim.) Makino
Podocarpus nagi var. ovatus (Gordon) Makino
Podocarpus ovata (Gordon) Henkel & W.Hochst.
Podocarpus ovatus (Gordon) Henkel & W. Hochst.

Description
Trees or shrubs to 20 m tall; trunk to 50 cm d.b.h.; bark reddish brown, dark purplish red, or light or dark gray, peeling in small, thin flakes; branches and branchlets erect, ascending, spreading, or ~pendulous, grayish to dark brown, slender, semiterete, stout; branchlets opposite, rarely alternate, compressed-tetragonal, rigid, glabrous, densely leafy. Leaves opposite, decussate; petiole strongly twisted at base, rotation continuing along whole length of internode; blade dark green and glossy adaxially, pale green abaxially, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, 2-9 x 0.7-3 cm, leathery, parallel veins indistinct, stomatal lines present on abaxial surface only, sometimes scarcely visible, base cuneate or cuneate-attenuate into widened, flattened petiole, apex truncate, broadly obtuse, acute, or acuminate, sometimes blackened. Pollen cones axillary, solitary or in clusters of up to 10, pedunculate or sessile, cylindric, ovoid-cylindric, or subglobose, 0.5-2.5 cm; peduncle (when present) short, thick, with a few basal bracts. Seed-bearing structures axillary, solitary rarely paired; peduncle stout, or slightly thickened only distally, 4.5-13 mm, with several deciduous bracts leaving scars. Receptacle obsolete, consisting of few bracts. Epimatium green with white bloom when young, dark purple with sparser white bloom when ripe. Seed globose to pyriform, 1-1.5 cm in diam., with dense punctiform depressions, base pointed, apex rounded. [Flora of China]

Ecology
Evergreen broad-leaved and Quercus forests, forests on dry mountainsides, thickets, along streams; 200-1200(-1600) m.

Uses
The wood is used for constructing houses and bridges, making furniture, utensils, and handicraft articles. The seeds yield an edible oil which is also used in industry.

Distribution
Southern China, Hainan, Taiwan and Japan.

Local names
China: Zhu bai.