Buddhist pine
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Also called Yew pine, Podocarpus and Japanese yew
Houseplant · Trees & big statementsOne of the very few conifers that will live indoors for years, and it clips like box — which is why it is sold as an indoor hedge and a bonsai. Everything on it is toxic to dogs, cats and horses, including the berry-like fruit.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 9 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect, with some direct sun
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — an average winter RHS H4, to -10°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 0.8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- Southern Japan and China
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting and diarrhoea.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA lists Podocarpus macrophylla by exact binomial, as "Buddhist Pine" and "Yew Pine", toxic to dogs, cats and horses. The fleshy fruit is the part an animal is most likely to take.
Checked against ASPCA on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Older needles yellowing and dropping from the inside of the plant outward through winter. It is a conifer in a centrally heated room — a cooler spot does more than watering.Needle drop from dry air · disorder
- Flat brown discs pressed along the stems and needle bases, with a sticky shine and sooty black below them.Scale insect · pest