Athrotaxis selaginoides
Encyclopedia
Athrotaxis selaginoides is a species of Athrotaxis
, endemic to Tasmania
in Australia
, where it grows at 400–1,120 m altitude. In its habitat in the mountains snow in winter is very usual. It is often called King Billy Pine or King William Pine (believed to be in reference to the Tasmanian aborigine William Lanne
), although it is not a pine
.
It is an evergreen
coniferous
tree
growing to 20–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves
are claw-like, 7–18 mm long and 3–4 mm broad, arranged spirally on the shoots. The seed cones
are globose, 15–30 mm diameter, with 20–30 spirally-arranged scales; they are mature about six months after pollination. The pollen cones are 4–5 mm long.
The species is threatened, with the major cause of decline being out-of-control bushfires set to clear logging debris after timber harvests in nearby Eucalyptus
forests; about a third of the species' range has been lost due to fires in the 20th century. Although most of the native stands are now in protected areas, fire still remains a serious risk to the species. Logging for its timber has also caused some decline.
Away from its native range, it is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental tree in northwestern Europe
.. It succeeds in Scotland where it receives the necessary rainfalls for its good growth and produces fertile seeds there.
Athrotaxis
Athrotaxis is a genus of two to three species of conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. The genus is endemic to western Tasmania, where they grow in high altitude temperate rainforests....
, endemic to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it grows at 400–1,120 m altitude. In its habitat in the mountains snow in winter is very usual. It is often called King Billy Pine or King William Pine (believed to be in reference to the Tasmanian aborigine William Lanne
William Lanne
William Lanne was a Tasmanian Aborigine. He is most well known as the last full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian man....
), although it is not a pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
.
It is an evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing to 20–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are claw-like, 7–18 mm long and 3–4 mm broad, arranged spirally on the shoots. The seed cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
are globose, 15–30 mm diameter, with 20–30 spirally-arranged scales; they are mature about six months after pollination. The pollen cones are 4–5 mm long.
The species is threatened, with the major cause of decline being out-of-control bushfires set to clear logging debris after timber harvests in nearby Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forests; about a third of the species' range has been lost due to fires in the 20th century. Although most of the native stands are now in protected areas, fire still remains a serious risk to the species. Logging for its timber has also caused some decline.
Away from its native range, it is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental tree in northwestern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.. It succeeds in Scotland where it receives the necessary rainfalls for its good growth and produces fertile seeds there.