Taiwania cryptomerioides 090816-6881

Description:

Mount Tomah, New South Wales, in my family's garden.Closeup of the pollen cone clusters which terminate the branchlets, expanding from an involucre of bract-leaves. Their structure is unlike that of any conifer I know, though the arrangement is slightly reminiscent of Cunninghamia, which we have growing nearby. The cladistic study of Gadek & al. (2000) [viewable at www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/7/1044 ] shows that Cunninghamia is the most basal branch in the cladogram of Cupressaceae s. lat., and Taiwania is the next most basal. They are therefore placed in subfamilies of their own, Cunninghamioideae and Taiwanioideae respectively.The resemblance to Cryptomeria is apparently superficial. That genus is placed in subfamily Taxodioideae together with Taxodium and Glyptostrobus.