biology

Podocarpus lawrencei

Podocarpus lawrencei is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Podocarpus lawrencei rather than just read about it. In short: Podocarpus lawrencei is a species of podocarp native throughout the Australian high country, from southern Tasmania through to the New South Wales highlands. Common names are Errinundra plum-pine and mountain plum-pine (though it is neither a pine nor a plum).

Key takeaways

Podocarpus lawrencei belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Podocarpus lawrencei to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Podocarpus lawrencei from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Podocarpus lawrencei is a species of podocarp native throughout the Australian high country, from southern Tasmania through to the New South Wales highlands. Common names are Errinundra plum-pine and mountain plum-pine (though it is neither a pine nor a plum). It grows on exposed sites to 1,800 m, often forming living carpets over rocks through wind pruning. Mountain plum-pine can live up to 600 years, and the growth rings vary with the temperature of the growing season, with narrower rings indicating unusually snowy years. These factors make it useful for determining past climate conditions in the Australian Alps.

Description The leaves are 1 cm long and 2–3 mm broad, green, often reddish-tinted, particularly so in cold winter weather. It has small bright red berry-like cones, with a 5–10 mm long red aril and one (rarely two) apical seeds 6–8 mm long; they are eaten by birds and marsupials, but are toxic to most other mammals (including humans). Whilst it is normally low growing, rarely reaching more than 1 m in the Australian Alps, on the Errinundra Plateau in eastern Victoria it reaches 15 m in height. The timber is too rare to be used for woodcrafts.

Cultivation Mountain plum-pine is tolerant of quite dry conditions and can resprout after losing all its leaves from drought. It survives −16 °C to 45 °C and grows well in full sun or fairly heavy shade. It is slow growing, putting on about 3–5 cm of length each year. It can be grown from cuttings or seed. New foliage is usually a lime green, darkening to olive green as it hardens. Ideally the mountain plum-pine should be grown in full sunlight with plenty of water. It makes a good indoor plant in a bright window. It is an excellent bonsai or hedging plant, although it does require patience.

References

External links Farjon, A. 2001. World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers. 2nd edition. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Farjon, A. (2013). "Podocarpus lawrencei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T42511A2983852. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42511A2983852.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Podocarpus lawrencei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Podocarpus lawrencei claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Podocarpus lawrencei before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Podocarpus lawrencei ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Podocarpus lawrencei

In research: Podocarpus lawrencei appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Podocarpus lawrencei in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Podocarpus lawrencei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Flora of New South Wales, Flora of Tasmania, Flora of Victoria (state), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Podocarpus lawrencei outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Podocarpus lawrencei in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Podocarpus lawrencei means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Podocarpus lawrencei out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Podocarpus lawrencei in simple terms?

Why does Podocarpus lawrencei matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Podocarpus lawrencei?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Podocarpus lawrencei.