Cycads and Conifers
A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is clearly defined and well understood.
Pinus strobus L.
Tree with round or pyramidal crown, thin bark, except for the lower part of old trees, clusters of long, soft, bluish-green leaves and cones to 10cm long. To 40m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Pinus sylvestris L.
Large pine with peeling bark, leaves in pairs and solitary, and variable cones, solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3, to 8cm long. To 40m. There are many varieties. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Pinus taeda L.
Fully-hardy evergreen tree with bluish young shoots, long, slender, flexible and slightly twisted leaves, to 25cm long, and oblong cones, to 10cm long. To about 20m. Cultivated for timber and occasionally naturalised around plantations. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’, FNSW].
Pinus teocote Schied. ex Schldl. & Cham.
Frost-hardy tree with thick, furrowed bark towards the base of the trunk, orange-red to brown and thinner above, needles usually 3 per fascicle, and solitary or paired, ovoid cones, to 9cm. To 30m. [RHSD, Hortus].
Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco
Fully-hardy, irregular or conical evergreen tree with erect branches and branchlets, very small, scale-like leaves, which often turn bronze in winter, and upright, flask-shaped, greyish female cones, to 2cm long. To 15m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco var. aureo nana
See Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco for a description of the species. Aurea nana is a globular bush of dense habit, with crowded, vertically arranged sprays of yellow-green foliage, fading to bronze in winter. Aurea nana only grows to 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers’]. Thuja aurea Hort. ex Carrière was published in 1855.
Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco var. filiformis pendula
See Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco for a description of the species. In pendula the main branches are long and whip-like, with long slender branchlets in small dense clusters. [RHSD].
Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco var. intermedia
See Platycladus orientalis (L.f.) Franco for a description of the species. Intermedia has loosely arranged, pendant branches and retains both adult and juvenile leaves. [RHSD, Hortus].
Podocarpus australis Hort.
I have been unable to identify a plant under the name Podocarpus australis but it is probably Podocarpus totara G.Benn. ex D.Don which see.
Podocarpus dacrydioides A.Rich.
Half-hardy, vigorous, monoecious, evergreen tree with long, slender, drooping branchlets, clothed with narrow, two-ranked, bronze-green leaves, spirally arranged when mature, and small, reddish fruit. To 45m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
Podocarpus elatus R.Br. ex Mirb.
Ornamental, small, occasionally tall, dioecious tree with fibrous bark and bright green lance-shaped leaves, to 15cm long. The seeds are borne on a blue-black, edible, fleshy receptacle, hence the common name. [Hilliers’, FNSW, Beadle].
Podocarpus lawrencei Hook.f.
Hardy, shrubby, decorative dwarf conifer, forming a low, densely-branched mound or a creeping carpet to 1-2 metres across. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’, FNSW].
Podocarpus spinulosus (Smith) R.Br. ex Mirbel
Frost-tender evergreen shrub or small tree with rigid, pointed, linear leaves, to 6cm long, and blue-black fruit, to 1.2cm across. To 1m. [RHSD, Hortus, FNSW, Beadle].
Podocarpus totara G.Benn. ex D.Don
Half-hardy evergreen tree with leathery, sharply-pointed, yellowish leaves, scattered or two-ranked, to 2.5cm long, and reddish fruit. To about 20m. [RHSD, Hortus, Hilliers’].
