Cultivated young tree at Mt Annan Botanical Garden, New South Wales [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Foliage of tree at Mt Annan Botanical Garden, New South Wales [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Female cones on tree at Mt Annan Botanical Garden, New South Wales [Trevor Hinchliffe].
Distribution of Actinostrobus pyramidalis (Hill 1998).
Foliage with mature female cone (R. Coveny 8129, NSW). From Fig. 195 in (Hill 1998) [Linda Hoare].
Actinostrobus pyramidalis
Swan River cypress, swamp cypress (Farjon 2005), King George's cypress-pine (Silba 1986).
Syn.: Callitris actinostrobus F. Muell. 1860, nom. illeg.; Frenela actinostrobus (F. Muell.) F. Muell. 1871, norn. illeg. T: cited as: Gordon River, Perth and Wellington, Nov. 1840, Sept. 1841, L.Preiss 1311; holo: not traced (Hill 1998).
A narrowly conical shrub or small tree to 8 m tall with erect, closely arranged branches. Bark brown, smooth. Branchlets divided into long, straight, slender branchlets. Juvenile leaves often glaucous, 7-8 mm. long, rarely persistent on mature trees. Adult leaves scale-like, ovate, apically spreading, up to 12 mm. long, in 6 ranks, dark green, pointed, somewhat decurrent, slightly keeled. Male cones cylindrical, 3-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm diameter, with 16-18 ovate scales; microsporophylls 2-4. Female cone globose to ovoid, rounded or obtuse, on a short peduncle, gray-brown, 12-15 mm. diameter, with 6 valvate scales; scales thin, obtuse or acute, slightly overlapping, apically incurved or erect, rarely spreading when open; with large rounded or nearly ovate basal bracts. Seeds tan or yellowish-brown, resinous, 5-7 mm. long, wings 1.5-1.9 mm. wide. Cotyledons 2, blue-green, 9-15 mm. long by 1.5-2 mm. wide, apex bluntly acute, stem 0.5-1 mm. thick. 2n = 22 (Silba 1986, Hill 1998).
Australia: Western Australia, "Endemic and locally frequent in shrublands in sandplain country, from near Watheroo south to the Albany district, south-western WA." Cited collections (presumably wild plants) include the south shore of Lake Chinocup, Cannington Swamp at University Reserve, and the corner of Madgingarra Road, near Maunchel Springs (Hill 1998).
Miquel. 1845. in J.G.C. Lehmann. Pl. Preiss. 1: 644.
Baker, R.T. and H.G. Smith. 1910. Res. Pines Australia 290 (Illustrations).
Bennett, E.M. 1987. in N.G. Marchant et al., Fl. Perth Region 1: 53, fig. 6 (Illustrations).
Blackall, W.E. and B.J. Grieve. 1954. How to Know W. Austral. Wildflowers. 1: 6 (Illustrations).
Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.
Hair, J.B. 1968. New Zealand Journal of Botany 6: 272-284 (Figs 163, 195A-D).
Krussmann, G. 1985. Manual of Cultivated Conifers 2nd edition, 47, fig. 15 (Illustrations).
Back | Actinostrobus | Cupressaceae | Site map | Contact us
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
Page updated on 2009.12.12
URL: http://www.conifers.org/pi/pin/pyramidalis.htm
Back to top