Plant in sun or part shade with regular watering. It is moderately drought-resistant and frost hardy but grows best on moist sites in sandy or loamy soil. It can tolerate less favorable sites, but then grows very slowly and can perform poorly in heavy clay soils. It is a very neat and decorative tree suitable for both home gardens and large landscapes where it can be an excellent specimen tree for lawns or even as a street planting and can also be used in hedges and formal gardens, as it can be pruned to the desired shape. While the arils of the fruit of most species of Podocarpus are edible, raw or cooked into jams or pies, other parts of the fruits are slightly toxic and should be eaten only in small amounts or avoided, especially when raw. In addition the stems, leaves, flowers, and pollen all contain this toxin and for this reason some sources list Podocarpus in general (and Podocarpus macrophyllus specifically) as being toxic to dogs. We have not found our dogs interested in eating this plant but list this here to caution others not to let their dogs eat it.

Podocarpus henkelii is found growing from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal and is most abundant in moist inland forest. The name for the genus is derived from Greek words 'podo' meaning "foot" or "footed" and 'karpos' which means "fruit" in reference to the fleshy stalk or receptacle that holds the seed. This is lacking on some plants previously included in this genus and these plants have been transferred to the new genus Afrocarpus. The specific epithet was named after Dr J.S. Henkel, formerly of the S.A. Forestry Department. 

The information about Podocarpus henkelii displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.