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Scientific name: Callitris roei (Endlicher) F.J. Mueller 1882
Synonyms: Frenela roei Endl., Frenela subcordata Parl.
Common names: Roe's cypress-pine
Description
Shrub, or tree to 3 m tall, with one or more trunks to 0.2 m in diameter. Bark reddish brown, weathering gray, long remaining smooth by flaking, finally becoming shallowly furrowed near the ground. Crown open, wide, with thin, waxy, outstretched branches. Branchlets sharply triangular. Juvenile foliage not persisting in mature plants. Adult leaves, including bases, 2-3.5(-5) mm long, bluish green with wax, with a sharp triangular keel. Pollen cones single, 3-6 mm long, with 3-6(-10) trios of pollen scales, each scale with three or four pollen sacs. Pollen cones single or clustered on stout branchlets, flattened spherical, to 2 cm in diameter, persisting long after maturity, with a three-angled, stout central column 4 mm long. Scales with a strong conical point below the tip, shallowly grooved to the base, the inner trio each with two seeds. Seeds chestnut brown, the body 3-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, with two unequal wings, the larger one 3-6 mm wide, 5-7 mm long, the smaller 1-2 mm wide.
The species name honors John Roe (1797-1878), the English-born Australian naturalist who collected the original material in 1847 during his long tenure as Surveyor-General of Western Australia.
Southwestern Western Australia. Open woodlands; (50-)100-300(-350) m.
Conservation Status
Red List Category & Criteria: Near Threatened
Callitris roei was previously assessed in 1998 as Vulnerable under criteria A1c (a population reduction of 20% over the last 3 generations and a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat). Population reduction was attributed to clearing for agriculture, the effect of repeated fires and overgrazing. Under the new categories and criteria (Version 3.1), criterion A1 requires a past decline of between 70 and 50% to qualify for Vulnerable. In this case the extent of past decline was estimated to have been 20% which is insufficient for the new threshold. Under A2, past decline must be between 30% and 50%. The previous estimate is also below this threshold and, in the absence of better information, the criteria for A2 are not met. Criteria A3 and A4 require estimates of future decline: these are currently unavailable. The extent of occurrence is estimated to be well in excess of 20,000 km2 and beyond the threshold for listing under criterion B1. The area of occupancy is likely to be less than 2,000 km2 due to habitat conversion for agriculture and pastoralism. However, as it is currently known from more than 10 locations and the size and distribution of subpopulations is too poorly known for them to be regarded as severely fragmented, then it is not currently eligible for listing under criterion B2. In the absence of estimates for population size or any population viability analyses, criteria C, D and E are not applicable.
Currently, Callitris roei does not meet any criteria for listing in any threatened category. Should more information about its area of occupancy or population structure become available, then it could qualify for listing as Vulnerable under the criteria A2, A3 or B2. As a result, Callitris roei is re-assessed as Near Threatened.
Restricted to southwestern Western Australia, mainly in the wheat belt area and along the southern coast. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated to be more than 99,000km2. Specimens collected since 1980 compared to those collected prior to that date indicate that Callitris roei still occurs within this range. However, although current area of occupancy is unknown, it is likely to be less than 2,000 km2 as a result of extensive clearing of native vegetation.
Occurs as an occasional shrub or small tree. Usually found in mallee woodland or shrubland with a diverse range of other species. Habitat loss and fragmentation has been a problem in the past; in some areas overgrazing and increased fire frequencies are an ongoing problem. In some parts of its range, Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback is causing the death of associated species. Although Callitris roei is not known to be susceptible, dieback of surrounding vegetation could increase risk of fire due to increased fuel loads
Known from several protected areas in the southern parts of its range.
References
Copyright © Aljos Farjon, James E. Eckenwalder, IUCN, Conifers Garden. All rights reserved.
