GYMNOSPERMS
CUPRESSACEAE
- Cypress Family
Shrubs or small trees,
often grown in gardens as specimen plants. About 140 species, mostly
in temperate regions. Western Australia has nine native species plus
at least one naturalised.
Callitris
(cypress-pines) is largely an Australian genus with roughly spherical
cones made of six valves, three short and three long. There are five
Western Australian species but several eastern Australian species
have been planted and
C.
columellaris
(coastal pine) has escaped into John Forrest National Park and onto
roadsides near North Dandalup. (It can be distinguished from the
superficially similar local native Actinostrobus pyramidalis because that has all the cone valves equal in size
and grows in swampy, winter wet soil.) In addition,
C.
glaucophylla,
C. robusta and C.
verrucosa have
escaped from the arboretum at Dryandra, and possibly also at other
sites.
PINACEAE
- Pine Family
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A family of
Northern Hemisphere trees, important for their timber. Many
have been grown experimentally in Western Australia, but did
not perform well until their fungal partners were also
introduced.
Two species of
Pinus
(pines) have been planted extensively and their seedlings
are naturalising away from the plantations.
P.
pinaster
(maritime pine) has pairs of leaves (needles)
10-17cm long, and is originally from the
Mediterranean.
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Pinus pinaster. GK
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P. radiata
(Monterey
pine, radiata pine) has needles in threes and comes from
California. Both are invading road verges and bushland
between Perth and Albany. Other species recorded as
spreading from plantings include P.
canariensis
(Canary Island pine),
P.
halepensis
(Aleppo pine), P.
pinea
(stone pine) P.
ponderosa
(ponderosa pine) and - in TAXODIACEAE, the Redwood Family -
Sequoia
sempervirens (coast
redwood).
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Sequoia sempervirens. RC
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