Scientific name: Callitris oblonga L.Richard & A.Richard 1826

Synonyms:Callitris fruticosa R.Br. ex Rich., Callitris gunnii Hook.f., Cupressus fothergillii J.Forbes, Frenela fothergillii (J.Forbes) Endl., Frenela fruticosa Endl., Frenela gunnii (Hook.f.) Endl., Frenela macrostachya Knight & Perry ex Gordon

Common names:Pigmy Cypress pine, River pine, Tasmanian cypress pine, South Esk pine

Description

Tall shrub, or tree to 2-4(-10) m tall, often branching near the base, with trunk to 25 cm in diameter. Bark brown, weathering grayish brown, flaking in scales and becoming shallowly furrowed. Crown dense, broadly cylindrical, with upturned branches. Branchlets rounded-triangular. Juvenile foliage not persistent in mature plants. Adult leaves, including bases, 4-5 mm long, bluish green with wax, with a rounded keel. Pollen cones usually in clusters of there to five, 1-2 mm long, with three or four trios of pollen scales, each scale with two or three pollen sacs. Seed cones solitary or clustered on stout, short branchlets, persisting long after maturity, egg-shaped (close enough to the oblong of the species name), 1.2-2 cm in diameter, with a three-lobed, short central column 2-3 mm long. Seed 5-15 on each scale, dark brown to black, the body 2.5-4 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, with two nearly equal wings (0-)1-2(-3) mm wide, sometimes with a third wing to 1 mm wide.

Northeastern Tasmania and southeastern and northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Sandy riversides; (0-)100-1,000(-1,300) m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Vulnerable

(The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) for Callitris oblonga is 5,835 km2 based on recent herbarium specimens. This is a cumulative total from each area (Northern Tablelands: 4,700 km2; Southern Tablelands: 12 km2; Tasmania: 1,123 km2). Although the area of occupancy has not been calculated, it is likely to be less than 500 km2 as subpopulations are relatively small and localised. Despite the great geographic disjunctions between the three main areas, individual subpopulations are not considered severely fragmented in the IUCN context. Nine locations have been identified based on common threats within geographical areas. In some parts of the range there is a continuing decline in quality of habitat due to the impact of exotic weeds, feral animals and habitat conversion. On this basis, Callitris oblonga is listed as Vulnerable under Criterion B)

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.

Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland