Podocarpus lawrencei 'Purple King' / Purple King mountan plum-pine

Podocarpus lawrencei 'Purple King' is a dwarf, low, broad shrubby selection of mountain plum-pine with irregular open branching, and gray green leaves that appear bright-purple in the spring flush and assumes a purplish bronze cast with the onset of cold weather in late fall / winter. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 4 feet (1.3 m) tall and 6 feet (2 m) wide, an annual growth rate of 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm).

This cultivar originated as a seedling sourced from species seed in the 1990s. This conifer, although reported to have originated in New Zealand, is of unknown origin.