''Callitris verrucosa'', also known as the mallee pine, is a species of

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

in the family

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae or the cypress family is a family of conifers. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecio ...

. It is found only in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The plant has a green-grey colour, rigid branches and can reach a height of . It has a slow growth rate.

Description

''Callitris verrucosa'' is a small tree or shrub which can reach the height of . The mallee pine is typically multi-stemmed with erect branches. The leaves are 2-4 mm long with a conical-rounded surface and green-grey coloured. The shrub produces cones which are 3 mm long in singular clusters for males, and approximately 20 mm long occurring in a bunch, for the female cones. The mallee pine is an obligate seeder, and its seeds display

serotiny Serotiny in botany simply means 'following' or 'later'. In the case of serotinous flowers, it means flowers which grow following the growth of leaves, or even more simply, flowering later in the season than is customary with allied species. Havi ...

. The species can be negatively affected by intense fires. However, it also requires fire to germinate seeds, making it a unique species.

Other names

Other names for the mallee pine include ''camphor wood'' and ''scrub cypress pine''.

Range and habitat

The mallee pine is endemic to

Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is one of 32 List of Major Vegetation Groups in Australia, Major Vegetation Groups defined by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy and one of the 189 habitats in the HOTW habitats of ...

in southern Australia. It can be found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. It prefers well-drained soils, and full sun. The conifer grows best in sandy soils, and can commonly be found on sand dunes within its habitat.

Uses

The resin from various ''Callitris'' species were used by

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

as an

adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...

for tools and weaponry. Long, straight branches were also fashioned into fishing

spears A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...

. The wood from the mallee pine is durable and insect resistant, and can be used for fencing.

Conservation

The species is categorised as "least concern" on the IUCN Redlist.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5022835 verrucosa Trees of Australia Pinales of Australia Least concern flora of Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Trees of mild maritime climate Trees of Mediterranean climate Drought-tolerant trees Taxonomy articles created by Polbot