The endemic species of Podocarpus in New Guinea

Among the more than a dozen species of Podocarpus sensu stricto known to occur on the island of New Guinea inch New Britain, five are not known elsewhere. Unlike most of the non-endemic species, these five are widely distributed on the island in their appropriate ecological zones. Only one of the five, P. brassii Pilger, can be said to be free of confusion in the literature. Six species and one variety of Podocarpus have been described specifically from New Guinea. Of these, P. schlechteri Pilger is a synonym of P. pilgeri Foxworthy and P. thevetiifolius Blume is a synonym of P. polystachyus R. Brown, both extending far beyond New Guinea. Besides P. brassii, the remainder are P. ledermannii Pilger, P. idenburgensis Gray, P. archboldii Gray, and P. archboldii var. crassiramosis Gray. Another endemic species has never been named. Confusion centers around P. archboldii and its relationships to the other endemic species.