Retrophyllum Gallery


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Retrophyllum comptonii ¤ (50 kB)
Retrophyllum comptonii
- Foliage.
Retrophyllum is a very unusual genus. There's 5 species, from New Caledonia (Retrophyllum comptonii, Retrophyllum minor), the western Pacific (Fiji to Papua and the Moluccas, Retrophyllum vitiense) and South America (Retrophyllum piresii in the Rondonia area of Brazil, Retrophyllum rospigliosii in the northern Andes). They all used to be classified in Podocarpus, but were split off by Chris Page (conifer taxonomist, Edinburgh RBG, now retired) into this new genus in 1989 (Notes Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh 45: 377-395) because of their unique foliage.
Herbarium specimen, cultivated under glass
Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens,
United Kingdom
Photo © Michael P. Frankis
Retrophyllum comptonii ¤ (115 kB)
Retrophyllum comptonii
- Foliage (close-up);
The most distinctive feature is the leaf arrangement, which, unlike ALL other conifers, and (as far as I know) ALL other plants, is not symmetrical - the leaves on the left-hand side of the shoot are twisted one way, and the leaves on the right hand side twisted the other way. So the leaves on one side are 'up-side-down' with respect to the leaves on the other side. This scan of a piece of foliage shows it well.
Herbarium specimen, cultivated under glass
Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens,
United Kingdom
Photo © Michael P. Frankis

July 2001
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