''Actinostrobus pyramidalis'', commonly known as swamp cypress, Swan River cypress and King George's cypress pine,
[Eckenwalder, J.E. 2009. ''Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference''. Timber Press. p. 124] is a species of coniferous tree in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). Like the other species in the genus ''Actinostrobus'', it is endemic (ecology), endemic to southwestern Western Australia.
Swamp cypress is a shrub or small tree, reaching eight metres tall. The leaf, leaves are evergreen and scale-like, except on young seedlings, where they are needle-like. The leaves are arranged in six rows along the twigs, in alternating whorls of three. The male conifer cone, cones are small, 3–6 mm long, and are located at the tips of the twigs. The female cones start out similarly inconspicuous, but mature in 18–20 months to 1–2 cm with a rounded apex.
The cones open and release the seeds only upon drying. They tend to remain closed on the trees for many years, opening only if the branch, or the whole tree, dies. Bushfires in Australia, Bushfire kills swamp cypress, but it also causes a great many seeds to be released all at once, resulting in prolific regeneration. In one case, an isolated tree on Jeegarnyeejip Island, Western Australia, Jeegarnyeejip Island was killed by fire, and the following winter there were 800 seedlings per square metre within a couple of metres of the original specimen, and about 150 per square metre ten metres away.
The species was first collected from Perth in September 1841 by Ludwig Preiss, Johann August Ludwig Preiss, and a description was published by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel in 1845 as ''Actinostrobus pyramidalis''. 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 pyramidalis'' was renamed ''Callitris pyramidalis''.
[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.
References
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*Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. .
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External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2688669
Actinostrobus, pyramidalis
Flora of Western Australia
Pinales of Australia
Near threatened flora of Australia
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN