''Actinostrobus acuminatus'', commonly known as dwarf cypress, creeping pine or Moore cypress pine,Eckenwalder, J.E. 2009. ''Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference''. Timber Press. p. 123 is a species of coniferous

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 ...

in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). Like the other species in the genus ''Actinostrobus'', 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 ...

to southwestern

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 ...

, where it can be found along the shorelines of rivers. The

Mount Henry Peninsula Mount Henry Peninsula is a land feature and reserve located south of Perth, Western Australia, on the north bank of the Canning River near the Mount Henry Bridge in Salter Point, Western Australia. It covers , and includes both ''Banksia atte ...

is an example of the environment in which this cypress is found. It shares the common name ''dwarf cypress'' with several other plants, and shares the name ''creeping pine'' with others. It is a shrub or small

, reaching 1–4.5 m tall. The leaves are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and mixed scale-like and needle-like, except on young seedlings, where they are all needle-like. The leaves are arranged in six rows along the twigs, in alternating whorls of three; the scale leaves are 2–4 mm long, the needle leaves 10–20 mm long. The male

cones A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

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 15–20 mm long, with a pointed apex.

References

*Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. . acuminatus Flora of Western Australia Pinales of Australia Near threatened flora of Australia Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{WesternAustralia-plant-stub