The difference between bamboo cypress and Podocarpus

1. Leaf Difference

The leaves of bamboo cypress are opposite, leathery, and oblong, lanceolate-elliptical or ovate-lanceolate in shape, with many parallel fine veins and no midrib. They are about 3.5 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide. The upper side of the leaves is dark green and shiny, the lower side is light green, and the base is cuneate or broadly cuneate.

The leaves of Podocarpus are spirally arranged, linear-lanceolate in shape, slightly curved, about 7 to 12 cm long, with a sharp tip and a wedge-shaped base.

2. Flower Differences

The male cones of bamboo cypress are spike-shaped and cylindrical, usually solitary in the leaf axils, often branched, about 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, with a short and thick peduncle and a few triangular bracts at the base.

The male cones of Podocarpus are spike-shaped, axillary, usually clustered in 3 to 5 on a very short peduncle, about 3 to 5 cm long.