Common Names

Taxonomic notes

The sole 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).

Range

W Tasmania, on the summit of the Western Range and Mount Lapeyrouse (Dallimore et al. 1967, Silba 1986).

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.

See Also

Paleobotany of Australia and New Zealand conifers.