White Cypress-Pine
Callitris columellaris

Family: Cupressaceae

What it is like

Callitris columellaris is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. 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 and prefers well-drained 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

Light soils, occasionally near the coast, but usually in dry inland areas up to the montane zone.

Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

A resin obtained from the stumps of felled trees or the cut logs is used as a coating for pills. The bark contains 11 - 23% 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.

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.

How it is grown

Prefers a dry sandy coastal soil in full sun, succeeding in saline soils. A very drought tolerant plant once established. This species can tolerate temperatures down to at least -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. Some reports say that plants can succeed outdoors in the very mildest areas of this country but another report places this species in hardiness zone 10, which would mean that it is not frost tolerant and could only be grown with winter protection. 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: 9-11

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

C. arenosa. C. glauca.