Family: Podocarpaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Afrocarpus gracilior (fern pine, yellowwood) is a tall evergreen tree native to eastern tropical Africa, from Ethiopia south through Kenya and Tanzania. Despite its common name, it is not a true pine but a conifer with a dense, upright crown and soft, narrow green leaves that resemble bamboo leaves or pine needles. Its flowers and fruit are small and generally inconspicuous. Fern pine is valued for its elegant appearance, rapid growth, and adaptability in tropical and subtropical landscapes. It is commonly planted as a shade tree, street tree, windbreak, privacy screen, or hedge. With regular trimming, it can form a thick, dense, impenetrable green wall. The wood is also valued in its native range for furniture, carving, and construction. Propagation is typically by seed or vegetative cuttings.

Risks & Threats
Fern pine is considered a low risk species for Hawai‘i and has not demonstrated invasive tendencies in tropical island ecosystems. However, because it grows quickly and can become quite large, regular trimming and hedging are often needed to prevent obstruction of utilities, roads, or nearby structures. Pruning is generally the primary maintenance concern for this species. When planted in suitable locations and responsibly maintained, Afrocarpus gracilior is regarded as a useful and attractive landscape tree with relatively low environmental risk.

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate tolerance (tropical highlands to subtropical)
  
• Repeated introductions outside native range (ornamental)
  
• Shade tolerant
  
• Unpalatable to grazers
  
• Allergenic pollen
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people
  
• Bird-dispersed seeds
  
• Seeds survive gut passage
  
• Persistent soil seed bank (up to 4 years)
  
• Tolerates pruning / mutilation

Low Risk Traits:

• No naturalization recorded
  
• Not a weed (garden, ag, or environmental)
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• No toxicity (animals or humans, except allergen)
  
• No major pests or pathogens
  
• No vegetative spread in wild
  
• No prolific seed production
  
• No wind or water dispersal adaptation