Callitris columellaris (coast cypress pine) description

Conservation Status

Conservation status

Callitris columellaris

F.Muell. (1866)

Common names

Coast cypress pine, Bribie Island pine (Grodecki et al. 1996), coastal cypress pine. As with other Callitris it is variably called "cypress", "pine", or "cypress pine".

Taxonomic notes

Type: Australia, NSW, "Richmond River entrance" (now the city of Ballina), J. A. Henderson ex herb. F. von Mueller, ME 1596576. Lectotype MEL, isolectotype K000087583. Synonymy:

Frenela columellaris (F.Muell.) Parl. ex D.C.;
Frenela moorei Parl. ex D.C.;
Callitris arenosa A.Cunn. ex R.T.Baker & H.G.Sm..

Many authorities, most notably Farjon (2005, 2010), treat Callitris glaucophylla and C. intratropica as synonymous with this taxon. However, it was early recognized as distinct on the basis of distribution, morphology, and habitat, and continues to be treated as a distinct taxon by most Australian authorities (e.g. Hill 1998 and the Atlas of Living Australia). This status has been confirmed in a long series of molecular studies:

Pye et al. (2003) showed C. columellaris and C. intratropica to be distinct based on ITS sequence data.
Piggin and Bruhl (2010), in a comprehensive morphological and molecular study of Callitris, found C. columellaris and C. intratropica to be sister but distinct.
Sakaguchi et al. (2013) identified C. intratropica as one member of a species complex allied to C. columellaris, recognizing C. glaucophylla, C. gracilis, and C. verrucosa as other members of that species complex. They assessed chloroplast haplotypes and nuclear SSR data for many specimens representing these taxa, and showed relationships between the taxa related to different ecosystems, climates, and glacial-interglacial evolutionary histories. The various species were clearly distinct.
Larter et al. (2017) used an different and more diverse molecular dataset incorporating loci from plastid (rbcL, matK, trnL, psbB, petB) and nuclear DNA (ITS, needly, leafy) sources; they found C. columellaris and C. intratropica to be distinct but sister taxa, estimated through a molecular clock to have diverged in late Pliocene or early Pleistocene time, with C. glaucophylla still more distinct.
Crisp et al. (2018) used still another comprehensive dataset incorporating molecular, morphological, and fossil data to evaluate all taxa in the subfamily Callitroideae; here again C. columellaris and C. intratropica were distinct but sister taxa, with C. glaucophylla more distant.

In sum, we have 5 different molecular studies that also used a variety of other lines of evidence, performed over a 15-year period, all concluding that C. columellaris, C. glaucophylla, and C. intratropica are distinct taxa. It is arguable that C. intratropica could be treated as a subspecies of C. columellaris, but in no analysis are C. columellaris and C. glaucophylla sister taxa. Through a molecular clock, Sakaguchi et al. (2013) estimated that these two taxa diverged in the latter Miocene, about 10 million years ago, while C. columellaris and C. intratropica probably diverged at about the time when glacial/interglacial cycles began to influence vegetation dynamics in Australia, which would be in the early Pleistocene.

Description

Shrubs or trees to 30 m tall, with a single trunk of spreading or erect branches. Bark brown, rough and furrowed. Leaves in whorls of 3 (sometimes 4 or 5 when juvenile), variably dark green to glaucous, juvenile leaves 7–8 mm, mature leaves 1–3 mm long with apex broadly acute, dorsal surface not keeled. Pollen cones solitary or in small clusters at the tips of twigs, cylindric-oblong, 3-10 × 2-5 mm. Seed cones solitary on slender twigs, falling soon after maturity; depressed-globose to ovoid, 12–25 mm diameter, dark brown with a 7-8 mm peduncle; cone scales 6, thin, often with a very small dorsal point, separating almost to base and spreading widely after opening, alternate scales short and narrow, larger ones angled into a wide sharp apex, spreading widely at maturity; columella usually slender and 3-7 mm long. Seeds 4-5 mm, chestnut brown, numerous, with 2-3 wings ca. 4 mm wide (Harden 1990, Wunderlin 1993, Hill 1998). See García Esteban et al. (2004) for a detailed characterization of the wood anatomy, and see Baker and Smith (1910) for copious detail on anatomy and chemistry of the various tissues. Hill (1998) provides the following key to the three similar species sometimes synonymized as C. columellaris. These species are distinguished from all other Callitris by having dorsally rounded (not keeled) scale leaves, and seed cone scales that separate almost to the base. Also, unlike most taxa in the genus, they are not serotinous (Crisp et al. 2018).

1	Largest seed cones less than 18 mm diameter; tropical species.	C. intratropica
1	Largest seed cones more than 18 mm diameter; southern species.	2
2	Foliage gray-green or glaucous; older trees with a spreading habit, not columnar; inland species.	C. glaucophylla
2	Foliage dark green; older trees with a columnar, erect habit; coastal species.	C. columellaris

Distribution and Ecology

Australia: Queensland and New South Wales at latitudes of 24.3° to 29.9° S, almost always within 100 km of the coast and usually much closer. See map at right. Habitat modeling indicates this distribution has been stable across Pleistocene glacial/interglacial climate changes (Sakaguchi et al. 2013).

Bowman et al. (2011) sampled Callitris from across Australia to evaluate climate-growth relationships. They treated all samples of C. columellaris, C. intratropica and C. glaucophylla as C. columellaris, but since these taxa have largely disjunct ranges, it's fairly clear that their "Moreton Island" site was sampling C. columellaris. The site is at 60 m elevation and has a humid subtropical climate. The mean annual temperature is 20.6°C with a range of about 14–27°C. The average annual rainfall of 1504 mm has a fairly uniform rainfall regime, with about 80 mm in the driest month (September) and 180 mm in the wettest month (March). This makes it arguably the wettest climate experienced by any Australian species of Callitris (C. intratropica has slightly more rainfall but also a strong seasonal drought). One consequence is that the trees grow continuously and do not produce annual rings (Bowman et al. 2011). Locally abundant on deep coastal sandy soils (Harden 1990, Hill 1998).

Baker and Smith (1910) report that it grows "in patches along the southern Queensland coast and N.E. corner of New South Wales. It is found almost on the sea shore, in the slight hollows behind the sea beach. It does not attain a large size; some trees of 1 foot in diameter and 30 feet high were noticed on private property. As a rule it occurs as a shrub up to 12 feet high and densely tangled with other vegetation (Casuarina, &c.). It is very irregular and straggly in growth even when in tree form, lacking the regular branches of [C. glaucophylla], or the stately, narrow appearance of C. rhomboidea." Apart from this information, virtually nothing seems to have been published on the ecology and habitat of C. columellaris; all studies purporting to do so have addressed other species in the C. columellaris species complex, particularly C. glaucophylla.

Fire ecology is discussed by Crisp et al. (2018) in the context of all three species in the C. columellaris s.l. clade, which all have non-serotinous cones. They contend that these species occur in "sclerophyll or savannah communities subject to frequent surface fires, rather than crown fires. They release their seeds as soon as they mature and depend upon the soil seedbank for regeneration... [they] are community dominants, forming extensive stands... They have thick bark and even seedlings can withstand surface fires with low flame heights." However these remarks appear speculative, as none of the cited sources address C. columellaris; they all address C. intratropica or C. glaucophylla, which occupy habitats that at least seasonally are substantially more arid than the habitat of C. columellaris.

Hardy to Zone 9 (cold hardiness limit between -6.6°C and -1.1°C) (Bannister and Neuner 2001). Naturalized in USA: Florida: Brevard, Indian River, Orange, and Seminole counties at 0-10 m elevation, where it occurs in sand pine scrub and thickets (Wunderlin 1993, citing Blake 1959).

The IUCN has not evaluated the conservation status of C. columellaris sensu strictu, as they consider it to be synonymous with C. glaucophylla and C. intratropica; these three species taken together have a vastly larger range than C. columellaris. Within Australia, the species is not listed as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999. The species' habitat includes extensive low-lying, relatively well-watered areas, so there has almost certainly been a substantial reduction in habitat due to conversion to agriculture or developed lands. However the extent and severity of these impacts are unclear. Potential climate change effects on the species also seem not to have been evaluated, but the East Coast region of Australia, which includes the species' distribution, forecasts significant winter rainfall decreases, temperature increases in all seasons, increasing evapotranspiration stresses, and increasing fire risks during the remainder of the 21st century (Climate Change in Australia 2026). These factors would tend to reduce habitat suitability under the modeling metrics used by Sakaguchi et al. (2013).

Remarkable Specimens

Two exceptionally large and tall trees have been inventoried:

124 cm dbh and 22 m tall, with a 14.5 m crown spread, last measured in 2018; an ornamental at the Melbourne Botanic Garden, Victoria (National Register of Big Trees 2026).
73 cm dbh and 18.0 m tall, with a 7.0 m crown spread, last measured in 2012; in coastal habitat at Coominya, Queensland (National Register of Big Trees 2026).

This species does not produce annual rings, so not surprisingly, there are no age data. It would be possible to determine some ages based on historical records, though.

Ethnobotany

I have seen no data on aboriginal uses, and the species seems to have no current use. Historically, it saw some exploitation. Baker and Smith (1910) say it has a "pale, chocolate-coloured, easy-working, free timber. It has a straight grain, but, nevertheless, the figure is rather attractive, although wanting in the more elaborate flower often present with the timber of [C. endlicheri]. It could be used for various forms of cabinet-making, as it takes a high polish; but as other timbers are plentiful in the locality where it occurs, it is little used for house-building. It is highly aromatic, and contains the phenol, callitrol, in some quantity." Rolls (2001) says that historically it "grew in a few patches along the coast, particularly at Brunswick Heads [photo in Baker and Smith 1910]. It was all milled so early there is little memory of it ever growing there." Apart from this there seem to be no records. Some publications have addressed the foliar and wood essential oil composition, but it does not seem to have found commercial or other uses.

Observations

iNaturalist identifies several hundred observations located in sites throughout the species' range (although some sites W of Brisbane may be misidentifications of C. glaucophylla). A number of observations are near Ballina, NSW, the type locality; and a great many others are around Moreton Bay (near Brisbane, Qld), where the species was first collected by Allan Cunningham in 1825.

Remarks

The epithet columellaris refers to the columella, which is the small pillar of woody tissue at the heart of a Callitris seed cone.

Although celebrated Australian botanist Allan Cunningham first collected this species in 1825 (as Frenela arenosa), his description was not validly published until Baker and Smith (1910) did so; thus the valid name is based on an (undated) specimen collected in about 1864-5 and a description published in 1866.

Citations

Baker, R. T. and H. G. Smith. 1910. A Research on the Pines of Australia, p. 157. Available: Biodiversity Heritage Library, accessed 2026.08.23.

Blake, S. T. 1959. New or noteworthy plants, chiefly from Queensland, l. Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 70(6): 33-46.

Bowman, D. M. J. S., L. D. Prior, D. Y. P. Tng, Q. Hua, and T. J. Brodribb. 2011. Continental-scale climatic drivers of growth ring variability in an Australian conifer. Trees 25:925–934.

Crisp, M. D., L. G. Cook, D. M. J. S. Bowman, M. Cosgrove, Y. Isagi, and S. Sakaguchi. 2018. Turnover of southern cypresses in the post-Gondwanan world: extinction, transoceanic dispersal, adaptation and rediversification. New Phytologist 221:2308–2319. Note that important findings appear in the supplemental data to this paper.

Grodecki, Andy, Sylvia Willie and Matt Deshon. 1996. Queensland tree selector. Online database; these data cited at http://ocean.fit.qut.edu.au/tsm/html/treetext.html, accessed 2002.01.22, now defunct.

Larter, Maximilian, Sebastian Pfautsch, Jean-Christophe Domec, Santiago Trueba, Nathalie Nagalingum, and Sylvain Delzon. 2017. Aridity drove the evolution of extreme embolism resistance and the radiation of conifer genus Callitris. New Phytologist 215(1):97–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14545.

Mueller, F. J. H. von. 1866. Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 5:198. Available at Google Books, accessed 2012.11.23.

National Register of Big Trees. 2026. Tree Register: National Registry of Big Trees. www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.com.au, accessed 2026.08.23.

Piggin, J., and J. J. Bruhl. 2010. Phylogeny reconstruction of Callitris Vent. (Cupressaceae) and its allies leads to inclusion of Actinostrobus within Callitris. Australian Systematic Botany 23:69-93.

Pye, M.G., P.A. Gadek, and K.J. Edwards. 2003. Divergence, diversity and species of the Australian Callitris (Cupressaceae) and allied genera: evidence from ITS sequence data. Australian Systematic Botany 16:505–514.

Rolls, Eric. 2001. Perfumed pines: the exploited and the exploiter. Pp. 195-201 in J. Dargavel, D. Hart and B. Libbis (eds.), "Perfumed Pineries: Environmental History of Australia's Callitris Forests." Canberra: Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University.

Sakaguchi, S., D. M. J. S. Bowman, L. D. Prior, M. D. Crisp, C. C. Linde, Y. Tsumura, and Y. Isagi. 2013. Climate, not Aboriginal landscape burning, controlled the historical demography and distribution of fire-sensitive conifer populations across Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280:20132182.

Wunderlin, Richard P. at the Flora of North America.