Mount mawson pine

Description

Microcachrys tetragona Evergreen, monecious or temporarily dioecious prostrate shrubs, up to 30 cm tall, much-branched from prostrate leaders up to 1 m long. Branches numerous, spreading, ascending. Twigs long, slender, whip-like, clad in scale-like leaves, quadrangular in cross section. Leaves on whip shoots mostly decurrent, lanceolate, up to 5 mm long with an acute apex. Leaves on lateral twigs decussate, imbricate, triangular, 1-1.5 × 1 mm, keeled, with an obtuse apex; stomata only on internal (adaxial) surface; leaves persist for many years on the main shoot. Pollen cones terminal, recurved, 2.5-4 mm long. Seed cones terminal, usually on different branch systems than the pollen cones, ovoid to globose, 6-8 mm long, fleshy and bright red when ripe; fertile scales round, each with an inverted seed partly covered by the epimatium (Dallimore et al. 1967 Farjon 2010 ). This species grows with and resembles Diselma archeri and Pherosphaera hookeriana. See Diselma for a table that assists in distinguishing these species.