Casuarina
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 Casuarina equisetifolia stems and leaves | ||||||||||||
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| Casuarina cunninghamiana Casuarina equisetifolia |
Casuarina is a genus of shrubs and trees in the Family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia and islands of the Pacific. Once it was the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera (see Casuarinaceae), a proposal that is not universally accepted.
Commonly known as the she-oak (sometimes sheoak), beefwood, or Australian pine, casuarinas are common in tropical and subtropical areas. The tree has delicate, slender ultimate branches and leaves that are no more than scales, making the tree look more like a wispy conifer. The plants do especially well in wind-swept locations, and are widely planted as wind-breaks, although usually not in agricultural situations.
Plants of some species (C. cunninghamiana, C. equisetifolia, C. glauca) of the genus were introduced to parts of the USA in the early 1900s, but are now considered invasive species in these areas.
Casuarina species are a food source of the larvae of hepialid moths: Members of the genus Aenetus, including A. lewinii and A. splendens, burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Endoclita malabaricus also feeds on Casuarina.
The noctuid Turnip Moth is also recorded feeding on Casuarina.
The gum exuded from some casuarinas is edible and was a food source for Aboriginal people.
Species accounts
- Casuarina equisetifolia L. is a common tropical seashore tree known as Common Ironwood, Beefwood, Bull-oak, or Whistling-pine and is often planted as a windbreak. The wood of this tree is used for shingles, fencing, and is said to make excellent, hot burning, firewood.
- C. equisetifolia is widespread in the Hawaiian Islands where it is an introduced species, growing both at the seashore in dry, salty, calcareous soils and up in the mountains in high rainfall areas on volcanic soils. The plants are strongly suspected of having alleopathic properties, as evidenced by the near absence of understory once a mat of litter develops around the plants.
- Casuarina oligodon L. is a native tree of New Guinea that is planted in an ancient (more than 3,000 years) silviculture by highland gardeners practicing an intensive traditional permaculture. The wood of this tree is used for building-timber, furniture and tools and is said to make excellent firewood. The tree's root nodules are known to fix nitrogen, and it is traditionally prized for its ability to increase the soil's fertility. Its abundant leaf-fall is high in nitrogen and traditionally prized for mulch.
- Casuarina cunninghamiana (River Sheoak) is an introduced species in several countries, including Argentina, China, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa and the southern United States [1]; in the United States it is now considered an invasive species [2]. The species has nearly quadrupled in southern Florida over the last decade, as can be noted by IFAS's SRFer Mapserver.
The images below were photographed in Israel.
Casuarina cunninghamiana fruit and leaves
Casuarina cunninghamiana fruit
Bark on the trunk of a Casuarina cunninghamiana
External links
- USDA Forest service description
- Casuarina information from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
- Research team from IRD working on Casuarinaceae
- USFS, FEIS
