Podocarpus are stalwart mainstays of landscaping here in Southern California. Their evergreen, feathery foliage does duty as both a standalone tree and a thick, 20-30 foot privacy hedge. One of their best traits is their relative freedom from pests -still there are a few, including this one that was brought to my attention.
I'd never seen it before so I sent it to Gevork Arakelian, entomologist for the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner's office. Turns out it's a type of scale from asia known as 'Juniper Fiorinia Scale' (
Fiorinia pinacola). It's so far nothing to worry about -if it gets out of hand just use soap or oil spray.
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| Fiorinia pinacola on Podocarpus |
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| Fiorinia pinacola on Podocarpus |
