View source for Biology:Actinostrobus

{{Short description|Genus of conifers}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Actinostrobos arenarius fruits murchison.JPG
| image_caption = ''[[Biology:Actinostrobus arenarius|Actinostrobus arenarius]]''
| taxon = Actinostrobus
| authority = Miq.
|type_species =''[[Biology:Actinostrobus pyramidalis|Actinostrobus pyramidalis]]''
|type_species_authority =Miq.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}

'''''Actinostrobus''''' is a genus of [[Biology:Conifer|conifer]]ous [[Earth:Tree|tree]]s in the [[Biology:Cupressaceae|Cupressaceae]] (cypress family). Common names include '''cypress''', '''sandplain-cypress''' and '''cypress-pine''', the last of these shared by the closely related genus ''[[Biology:Callitris|Callitris]]''. 
==Species==
There are three species in the genus, all endemic to southwestern Western Australia:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=1 |Stull et al. 2021<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stull |first1=Gregory W. |last2=Qu |first2=Xiao-Jian |last3=Parins-Fukuchi |first3=Caroline |last4=Yang |first4=Ying-Ying |last5=Yang |first5=Jun-Bo |last6=Yang |first6=Zhi-Yun |last7=Hu |first7=Yi  |last8=Ma |first8=Hong |last9=Soltis |first9=Pamela S. |last10=Soltis |first10=Douglas E. |last11=Li |first11=De-Zhu |last12=Smith |first12=Stephen A. |last13=Yi |first13=Ting-Shuang |display-authors=et al. |year=2021 |title=Gene duplications and phylogenomic conflict underlie major pulses of phenotypic evolution in gymnosperms |journal=Nature Plants |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-00964-4 |volume=7 |issue= 8|pages=1015–1025 |doi=10.1038/s41477-021-00964-4|biorxiv=10.1101/2021.03.13.435279 |pmid= 34282286|pmc= |bibcode= |s2cid=232282918 |doi-access=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stull |first1=Gregory W. |display-authors=et al. |year=2021 |title=main.dated.supermatrix.tree.T9.tre |publisher=Figshare |doi=10.6084/m9.figshare.14547354.v1 |url=https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Gene_duplications_and_genomic_conflict_underlie_major_pulses_of_phenotypic_evolution_in_gymnosperms/14547354 |doi-access=}}</ref>
|- 
| style="vertical-align:top|
{{clade|style=font-size:90%;line-height:80%
|label1=''Actinostrobus''
|1={{clade
  |1=''[[Biology:Actinostrobus acuminatus|A. acuminatus]]'' <small>Parlatore</small> 
  |2={{clade
    |1=''[[Biology:Actinostrobus arenarius|A. arenarius]]'' <small>Gardner</small> 
    |2=''[[Biology:Actinostrobus pyramidalis|A. pyramidalis]]'' <small>Miquel</small>
     }}
   }}
}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- 
! Image !! Name !! Common name!! Distribution
|-
||| ''[[Biology:Actinostrobus acuminatus|Actinostrobus acuminatus]]'' || Dwarf cypress, Creeping pine, Moore cypress pine<ref name=Eckenwalder>Eckenwalder, J.E. 2009. ''Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference''. Timber Press.</ref>||southwestern Western Australia
|-
|[[File:Actinostrobos arenarius habit murchison orig.JPG|120px]] || ''[[Biology:Actinostrobus arenarius|Actinostrobus arenarius]]'' || Sandplain-cypress<ref name=Eckenwalder/>|| Western Australia
|-
|[[File:Actinostrobus pyramidalis - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Biology:Actinostrobus pyramidalis|Actinostrobus pyramidalis]]'' || Swan river cypress, Swamp cypress, Western Australian swamp cypress, King George's cypress pine<ref name=Eckenwalder/>||southwestern Western Australia
|-
|}

A 2010 study of ''Actinostrobus'' and ''Callitris'' has placed all three species of ''Actinostrobus'' within an expanded ''Callitris'' based on analysis of 42 morphological and anatomical characters.<ref name=" Piggin and Bruhl (2010)">{{citation |author1=Piggin, J. |author2=Bruhl, J.J. |year=2010 |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/SB09044.htm |title=Phylogeny reconstruction of ''Callitris'' Vent. (Cupressaceae) and its allies leads to inclusion of ''Actinostrobus'' within ''Callitris'' |journal=Australian Systematic Botany |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=69–93|doi=10.1071/SB09044}}</ref>

They are [[Biology:Shrub|shrub]]s or small [[Earth:Tree|tree]]s, reaching {{convert|3|–|8|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. The [[Biology:Leaf|leaves]] are [[Biology:Evergreen|evergreen]], of two forms; juvenile needle-like leaves {{convert|10|–|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} long on young seedlings (but occasional into adulthood in ''A. acuminatus''), and scale-like adult leaves, {{convert|2|–|8|mm|in|abbr=on}} long with only the apex free. The leaves are arranged in six rows along the twigs, in alternating whorls of three.

The male [[Conifer cone|cones]] are small, {{convert|3|–|6|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, and are located at the tips of the twigs. The female cones start out similarly inconspicuous, maturing in eighteen to twenty months to {{convert|10|–|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and wide, globular to acute-ovoid, with six thick, woody scales, arranged in two whorls of three, and a further nine to fifteen thin, sterile basal scales. The cones remain closed on the trees for many years, opening only after being scorched by a bushfire; this then releases the [[Biology:Seed|seed]]s to grow on the newly cleared burnt ground.

The closest relative of ''Actinostrobus'' is ''[[Biology:Callitris|Callitris]]'', which is much more widespread, occurring in most of {{wipe|Australia}}, and differs in its cones lacking the basal whorls of small sterile scales.

The wood of ''Actinostrobus'' is light, soft and aromatic, but the plants are too small for any significant use. They are occasionally planted as ornamental shrubs, but their use is restricted by the high risks imposed by their very high flammability in bushfires.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Flora of Australia Online|name=Actinostrobus|id=57305}}
*Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. {{ISBN|1-84246-068-4}}.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100613104724/http://conifers.org/cu/ac/index.htm Gymnosperm Database - ''Actinostrobus'']
*[http://www.pinetum.org/cones/CAcones.htm Arboretum de Villardebelle - Photos of cones]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1472074}}
[[Category:Actinostrobus| ]]
[[Category:Conifer genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Actinostrobus}}