CELERY-TOP PINE

also called Adventure Bay Pine (species Phyllocladus asplenifolius), slow-growing ornamental and timber conifer of the family Podocarpaceae, native to temperate rain forests of Tasmania at elevations from sea level to 750 m (2,500 feet). The tree is shrubby at high elevations but may grow to 18 m (60 feet) and occasionally 30 m (100 feet) in lower areas. The irregularly arranged branches bear inconspicuous, scalelike leaves; leaf functions are performed mainly by deciduous, green branchlets that are flattened into leathery, leaflike phylloclades resembling celery leaflets.