''Actinostrobus arenarius'' is a species of conifer in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. Its common names include sandplain cypress,Eckenwalder, J.E. 2009. ''Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference''. Timber Press. p. 123 Bruce cypress, Bruce cypress-pine, and tamin.''Actinostrobus arenarius''.
The Gymnosperm Database. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. This species is a shrub or a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing up to tall. It has spreading branches with small branchlets. The scale-like, gray-green leaves are up to long and grow in threes. The cylindrical male cones are up to half a centimeter long. The female cones are up to long with pointed scales. They contain winged seeds. Western Australian State Botanist Charles Gardner described the species in 1964, from a specimen collected at

Tammin, Western Australia Tammin is a town in the central agricultural region of Western Australia, east of Perth and midway between the towns of Cunderdin and Kellerberrin on the Great Eastern Highway. The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The ...

. The species name is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''arena'' "sand", relating to where the sandplain cypress grows. A 2010 study of the genera ''Actinostrobus'' and ''Callitris'' found that all three species of ''Actinostrobus'' lay within the current concept of ''Callitris'' based on analysis of 42 morphological and anatomical characters, hence ''Actinostrobus arenarius'' was renamed ''Callitris arenaria''.Piggin, J., and Bruhl, J.J. (2010)

Phylogeny reconstruction of ''Callitris'' Vent. (Cupressaceae) and its allies leads to inclusion of ''Actinostrobus'' within ''Callitris''. ''Australian Systematic Botany'' 23: 69-93. This plant grows in colonies on

sandplain A sandplain is an area where the soil is sand deposited from elsewhere by processes such as wind or ocean, rather than direct weathering of bedrock. Sandplains are quite flat. There may be dune systems, and given time and the right conditions the ...

s, as part of a low scrubby plant community known as

kwongan Kwongan is plant community found in south-western Western Australia. The name is a Bibbelmun (Noongar) Aboriginal term of wide geographical use defined by Beard (1976) as Kwongan has replaced other terms applied by European botanists such as ...

; associated plant species include proteaceae of the genus ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range ...

'', ''

Conospermum ''Conospermum'' is a genus of about 50 species in the family Proteaceae that are endemic to Australia. Members of the genus are known as smokebushes - from a distance, their wispy heads of blue or grey flowers resemble puffs of smoke. They hav ...

'', ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...

'' and ''

Hakea ''Hakea'' ( ) is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family ''Proteaceae'', endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes d ...

'', myrtaceae of the genus '' Melaleuca'', various '' Acacia'' species and the conifers ''

Callitris preissii ''Callitris preissii'' is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae, endemic to Rottnest Island, Australia. Common names include Rottnest Island pine, Murray pine, maroong, southern cypress pine, or slender cypress pine. The Noongar peop ...

'' and '' C. roei''. Some of its habitat has been degraded or destroyed, but the plant is still widespread and grows in several protected areas. It is found from

Lake Grace A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

north to the Murchison River. The Bruce cypress colonises disturbed areas, forming stands on road verges and areas cleared for agriculture.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2688674 arenarius Pinales of Australia Least concern flora of Australia Flora of Western Australia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Charles Gardner Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN