61/70 D007 Australian Flora--Celery-top pine

Celery-top pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius)is a widespread plant endemic to Tasmania. It is so named due to the resemblance of its leaves to those of celery. In fact, these are not true leaves, but rather flattened stems (cladodes). Only the seedlings of this plant produce true needle-like leaves but these are replaced by the adult cladodes as it grows. Because needle leaves only have minute scales for light reception, the flat wide cladodes take over the job of assimilation and is thought to be an adaptation to the low light level in wet forest and rainforest where this species lives.

Its flowers are quite peculiar too. They are monoecious, with flowers being either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant. Scale bracts at the base of the fruit turn pink or red and swell so that they partly enclose the white aril. The black seed is encased in a soft white sheath. Such fruits usually occur in clusters and appear at the upper margins of the cladodes. Birds are attracted to the fleshy aril and disperse its seeds.

It is a slow-growing tree, which may reach an age of 800 years. Celery-top pine is a hard, durable, tough, and fine-grained timber. The wood is creamy white when freshly cut and darkens to a mellow rosy gold hue over time and with exposure to sunlight.  Features such as knots and other figure provide character to furniture constructed of Celery-top.