Red Cypress-Pine
Callitris endlicheri
Family: Cupressaceae
What it is like
Callitris endlicheri is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 20
Where it is found
Poor sandy soils.
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
Anthelmintic.
Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.
Other
Rating: 3
A resin obtained from the stumps of felled trees or the cut logs is used as a coating for pills. An essential oil is obtained by distillation of the fruit and twigs. It contains acetic acid, limonene, borneol and geranol. The bark contains 10 - 36% dry weight of tannin. Wood - resinous, very aromatic, very durable, brittle, very flammable, hard, close grained. Used for construction. furniture making, cabinet making, fencing, ship building etc.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Resin: Used in perfumery, medicines, paints, soap making etc. This also includes turpentine, which is extracted from many resins and used as a preservative, water proofer etc,
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers a dry sandy coastal soil in full sun, succeeding in poor or saline soils. A very drought tolerant plant once established. Tolerates temperatures down to -7°c in Australian gardens but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. Plants can succeed outdoors in the very mildest areas of this country. The plants are highly inflammable and are usually killed by forest fires. However, they store their seeds in unopened cones on the tree for many years, these seeds are released after a fire and then germinate freely.
Propagating it: Seed - does not require stratification, germinating at any time of the year if it becomes moist. Sow in early spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist