Black Cypress-pine - a non-local native (*Callitris endlicheri)

Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress family).

Native of eastern mainland Australia.

Occurrence: Uncommon. Hundreds had spread from some planted specimens in the Kalimna Reserve at Castlemaine. Many of these have now been removed.

Identification:

• cypress-pines are small conifers, to about 15 metres
• the leaves are small and in threes, growing flat on the branches.

• the leaves are angled (keeled), so that the branchlets appear to be angular
• the leaves are green, never bluish
• the cone dries to a blackish colour, the cone scales narrow towards the end, and have a small outward-facing point at the end.

Similar species: White Cypress Pine (Callitris columellaris) is a native to northern Central Victoria. It often has bluish leaves. Its cones have thin scales which separate to the base.
Cherry Ballart (Exocarpros cupressiformis) is an unrelated species. It has light green foliage. The fruit stalk is succulent and turns bright red. Cherry Ballart is a common component of the box - ironbark forests.

Name. endlicheri: after S. L. Endlicher 1805-49, a Viennese botanist.

An environmental weed.

Cypress Pine page 2