Microcachrys tetragona

Hooker fil. 1845

Common names

Strawberry pine (Eckenwalder 2009).

Taxonomic notes

This is the only species in Microcachrys Hooker fil. 1845.

Description

"A low, straggling, evergreen bush with long, slender, whip-like, 4- angled branchlets. Leaves arranged in 4 regular ranks, scale-like, about [1.5 mm] long, uniform in size, with finely ciliate margins, remaining for many years on the main shoot. Male and female strobili terminal on separate shoots of the same plant; the former oblong or egg-shaped, about [3 mm] long with 20 or more stamens. Female strobili egg-shaped or rounded, [6-8 mm] long, fleshy and bright red when ripe; fertile scales round, each with an inverted seed surrounded by a scarlet aril" (Dallimore et al. 1967).

Distribution and Ecology

W Tasmania, on the summit of the Western Range and Mount Lapeyrouse (Dallimore et al. 1967, Silba 1986). Based on data from 23 collection localities, it grows at elevations of 760 ±300 m. Within its range, mean annual temperature is 8°C, with an average minimum in the coldest month of 0°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 1600 mm (Biffin et al. 2011, Table S5). Hardy to Zone 8 (cold hardiness limit between -12.1°C and -6.7°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).

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Big tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

The genus name is from the Greek MIKROS, small, and CACHRUS, catkin, describing the pollen cones (Dallimore et al. 1967). The epithet refers to the 4-angled branchlets.

Citations

See also