Callitris pyramidalis
Swamp Cypress
Swamp Cypress
Wikipedia links: Gymnosperms > Cupressales > Cupressaceae > Callitris pyramidalis
Other links:
Common name: Swamp cypress
Also, Swan River cypress and King George's cypress pine
Conservation status: Least concern
Etymology:
The name ‘callitris’ is derived from the Greek calli (meaning beautiful) and treis (meaning three), because their scale-like leaves are in whorls of three
Cones and seed:
The cones open and release the seeds only upon drying
They tend to remain closed on the trees for many years, opening only if the branch, or the whole tree, dies
Bushfire kills swamp cypress, but it also causes a great many seeds to be released all at once, resulting in prolific regeneration
In one case, an isolated tree on Jeegarnyeejip Island was killed by fire, and the following winter there were 800 seedlings per square metre within a couple of metres of the original specimen, and about 150 per square metre ten metres away
The male cones are small, 3–6 mm long, and are located at the tips of the twigs
The female cones start out similarly inconspicuous, but mature in 18–20 months to 1–2 cm with a rounded apex
Leaves:
The leaves are evergreen and scale-like, except on young seedlings, where they are needle-like
The leaves are arranged in six rows along the twigs, in alternating whorls of three
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
A shrub or small tree, reaching 8 m tall
Habitat:
Distribution:
Like the other species in the genus Actinostrobus, it is endemic to southwestern Western Australia
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
The species was first collected from Perth in September 1841 by Johann August Ludwig Preiss, and a description was published by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel in 1845 as Actinostrobus pyramidalis
A 2010 study of the genera Actinostrobus and Callitris found that all three species of Actinostrobus lay within the current concept of Callitris based on analysis of 42 morphological and anatomical characters, hence Actinostrobus pyramidalis was renamed Callitris pyramidalis
Sources of information: