Callitris canescens

(Parl.) S.T. Blake 1959

Common names

Morrison's cypress pine, Scrubby cypress pine.

Taxonomic notes

Syn: Frenella canescens Parlatore ex Candolle 1868 (Farjon 2010).

Description

Shrubs or small trees to 6 m tall, usually with a short, branching trunk and a pyramidal to irregular crown of ascending, contorted branches. Bark grey, first wrinkled, becoming scaly and flaking. Twigs numerous, slender, round, 0.6-0.7 mm diameter, covered with appressed leaves in alternating whorls of 3, linear, 1.5-3 × 1 mm, stomata only present near laf margins, with a granulate outer surface. Pollen cones terminal, numerous, ovoid, 1.5-2 mm long, yellow-green, each with 9-12 microsporophylls. Seed cones terminal on thickened twigs, solitary or aggregated, globose, 12-15 mm diameter, light brown turning gray, with 2 alternate whorls of 3 scales bearing almost entirely included bracts, with 3-6 blackish brown seeds per scale (Farjon 2010).

Distribution and Ecology

Australia: Western Australia and South Australia (Farjon 1998). Occurs at elevations of 250-380 m on varied soils, in a summer-dry climate. Commonly found in kwongan (dwarf scrubland) with species of Myrtaceae and Proteaceae shrubs, or in mallee scrub with with Acacia, Eucalyptus and other Proteaceae; often on disturbed sites such as rights-of-way (Farjon 2010).

Zone 10 (cold hardiness limit between -1°C and +4.4°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001).

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2023.03.03.

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

The epithet "canescens" means "gray" and may refer to the seed cones (Farjon 2010).

Citations

Blake, S.T. 1959. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 70:39.

See also

Farjon (2005) provides a detailed account, with illustrations.