Athrotaxis selaginoides description

Athrotaxis selaginoides D.Don

Common Names

King Billy pine, King William pine (4).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: A. alpina Van Houtte ex Gord. (1).

Description

A conical tree to 30 m tall and 2 m dbh, often with a long clear trunk and small tufted crown. In exposed conditions it can be small, twisted, shrublike, hugging the ground. Bark dark orange-red, slightly furrowed, exfoliating in long strips, soft and spongy. "Branchlets upright, tufted near the crown, smooth, bright light green. Leaves spirally arranged, shiny green, free and spreading, acute, awl-shaped, lanceolate, pointing forwards, apex incurved and sharply acuminate, 8-13 mm. long, keeled on back with 2 small glaucous depressions, with two bright bluish-white bands beneath, margins entire. Male cones terminal on short branchlets, with 2 pollen sacs. Female cones on a peduncle 2-3 mm. long, globular, 2.5-3 cm. long, orange turning brown; scales papery, triangular, acuminate, denticulate. Seeds 2-4 per cone scale" (1).

Range

Australia: Tasmania: in mountain regions of the central plateau, extending almost to the West coast (4), at 914-1219 m (1).

Big Tree

Oldest

One tree-ring chronology, probably based on live tree material, is 777 years long (6). Dendrochronological analyses have found, from cross sections of logged trees, establishment dates as early as 1695. Adjoining older trees are not datable due to rot (5).

Dendrochronology

Use of the species has been reviewed by Norton & Palmer (1992).

Ethnobotany

The Tasmania Regional Forest Agreement finds that the species is currently used primarily as "craftwood", noting that "King Billy pine - is a slow-maturing species too scarce to allow sustained harvest of commercial quantities. Most demand is being met by substitutes. Salvaged timber is being used only for high-value products" (3).

Those who can find it, will find the timber "very lightweight. The sapwood is yellow, heartwood is pink to reddish brown. It is very soft, fine textured with close prominent growth rings and is easily split. Seasons very readily with little shrinkage or distortion. It is very durable and rot resistant. It planes and cuts very well. Because of its softness it bruises easily. It has good bending properties. Uses: Boat building, joinery, shingles, sounding boards in musical instruments, vats. It can be turned, but because of its softness, it tears on end grain" (4).

Observations

There are some excellent specimens in the Cradle Mountains National Park (4).

Remarks

This species is currently listed on the index of threatened Australian plant species.

Citations

(1) Silba 1986.
(2) "Tasmanian cedar," Britannica Online.
(3) Tasmania Regional Forest Agreement: Craftwood (1996 Nov 25).
(4) Keith Newbury on the WoodLink VWA Homepage.
(5) Ogden 1985.
(6) International Tree-Ring Data Bank, chronology AUSL002, limiting dates 1198-1975.