Callitris columellaris is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft 7in).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 10. It is in leaf all year. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant).
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Callitris columellaris is a slow growing evergreen tree with a spreading to upright crown; it can grow up to 30 metres tall but is usually smaller. The bole can be 30 - 60cm in diameter.
The plant was used by the Australian aborigines as a medicine and to provide various other commodities. Experiments have been made with cultivating the plant for its valuable timber, but it has proved to be too slow growing for this. However, these plantations have served as a valuable resource for obtaining an essential oil and other natural products. The plant is grown as an ornamental.
Callitris columellaris is here treated in a wide sense to include Callitris glaucophylla and Callitris intratropica. Although this species has been exploited throughout most of its range and its habitat is fragmented and degraded by a combination of grazing by domestic livestock and feral animals, altered fire regimes and invasion by exotic weeds, it is still very widespread and locally common. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013).
