Dacrydium guillauminii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dacrydium guillauminii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Araucariales |
| Family: | Podocarpaceae |
| Genus: | Dacrydium |
| Species: | D. guillauminii |
| Binomial name | |
| Dacrydium guillauminii | |
Dacrydium guillauminii, commonly known as cat-tail Rimu or swamp Dacrydium,[2] is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found only in New Caledonia. It is a slow growing shrub or small tree with roots that grow in water, and reaches a height between 1 and 2 metres.[3]
The species occurs on the banks of rivers and lakes in the south of Grand Terre, the largest island of New Caledonia.[3] It is threatened by wildfires and habitat destruction. Its name honors the French botanist André Guillaumin, who spearheaded the study of the flora of New Caledonia.[4][2]
Dacrydium guillauminii is a shrub that grows to a height of around 2 m (7 ft) which forms an erect, densely branched bush. The bark is brown and fibrous, covered with small scales and lenticels when young, and developing many small cracks and crevices as it grows older. The leaves are needle-like with sharp points, overlapping and slightly compressed, and 13 to 17 mm (0.51 to 0.67 in) long. The male cones may be apical or axillary, the latter being considerably smaller than the terminal ones, which can be 8 to 14 mm (0.31 to 0.55 in) long. The female cones grow at the tips of the twigs or sometimes on short lateral twigs, and may each contain up to five seeds.[5]