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2009-06-17T03:50:47Z

Silparaja at 07:01, 16 June 2009

2009-06-16T07:01:07Z

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			{{Inc\|
			Casuarina (said to be derived from Casuarius, the Cassowary, from resemblance of the branches to the feathers). Casuarinaceae. Beefwood. She-oak. Odd slender-branched leafless trees and shrubs grown in warm regions and rarely seen under glass. They are thin- topped trees of striking appearance.

			Casuarinas are usually classified near the walnut and hickory tribes, although very unlike them—or other known plants—in botanical characters. They are jointed and leafless plants, somewhat suggesting equisetums in gross appearance. Flowers are unisexual; staminate in cylindrical terminal spikes, each fl. consisting of a stamen inclosed in 4 scales, 2 of the scales being attached to the filament; pistillate fls. in dense heads borne in the axils, and ripening into globular or oblong cones, composed of 1-ovuled ovaries subtended by bracts: fr. a winged nutlet.—About 25 species in Austral., New Caledonia and E. Indies. The species fall into 2 groups, those having cylindrical and verticillate branches, and those having 4-angled and only imperfectly verticillate branches. The species bear small toothed sheaths at the joints.

			Beefwood is planted in the extreme South for its very odd habit, and also to hold sands of the seacoast. The wood burns quickly, and is very hard and durable. The redness of the wood has given the popular name, beef-wood.—The species are remarkable for rapid growth. They grow well in brackish and alkaline soils. Propagated by seeds and by cuttings of partly ripened wood.

			}}
	{{otheruses}}		{{otheruses}}
	{{Taxobox		{{Taxobox

MediaWiki default at 13:56, 4 August 2007

2007-08-04T13:56:56Z

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{{otheruses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen and yellow tips
| name = ''Casuarina''
| image = Casuarina equisetifolia leaves.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = ''Casuarina equisetifolia'' stems and leaves
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Fagales]]
| familia = [[Casuarinaceae]]
| genus = '''''Casuarina'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Selected species
| subdivision =
''Casuarina cunninghamiana''<br/>
''Casuarina equisetifolia''<br/>
''Casuarina glauca''<br/>
}}

'''Casuarina''' is a [[genus]] of [[shrub]]s and [[tree]]s in the Family [[Casuarinaceae]], native to [[Australia]] and islands of the [[Pacific Ocean|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.

[[Image:Casuarina equisetifolia fruits.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Fruit of ''C. equisetifolia'']]
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 [[United States|USA]] in the early [[1900s]], but are now considered [[invasive species]] in these areas.

''Casuarina'' species are a food source of the [[larva]]e of [[Hepialidae|hepialid]] [[moth]]s: Members of the genus ''[[Aenetus]]'', including ''A. lewinii'' and ''A. splendens'', burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. ''[[Endoclita|Endoclita malabaricus]]'' also feeds on ''Casuarina''.

The [[Noctuidae|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 [[allelopathy|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]], [[Mainland China|China]], [[Egypt]], [[Israel]], [[Iraq]], [[Kenya]], [[Mexico]], [[South Africa]] and the southern [[United States]] [http://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/FACTSH/C_cunninghamiana.html]; in the United States it is now considered an [[invasive species]] [http://www.invasive.org/browse/subimages.cfm?sub=5230]. The species has nearly quadrupled in southern Florida over the last decade, as can be noted by [[IFAS]]'s [http://biscuitgis.com/srfer/ SRFer Mapserver].

The images below were photographed in Israel.
<gallery>
Image:Casuarina_cunninghamiana_fruit_and_leaves01.jpg|Casuarina cunninghamiana fruit and leaves
Image:Casuarina_cunninghamiana_fruit01.jpg|Casuarina cunninghamiana fruit
Image:Casuarina_cunninghamiana_trunk_bark01.jpg|Bark on the trunk of a Casuarina cunninghamiana
</gallery>

==External links==
*[http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/casuarina/casaurina.htm USDA Forest service description]
*''[http://www.affa.gov.au/content/output.cfm?ObjectID=D2C48F86-BA1A-11A1-A2200060B0A06329 Casuarina information] from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry''
*[http://www.mpl.ird.fr/rhizo Research team] from [http://www.ird.fr IRD] working on [[Casuarinaceae]]
*[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/casspp/ USFS, FEIS]
[[Image:Paaka kahakai kailua.jpg|left|thumb|310px|Kailua Beach on O‘ahu with casuarina trees on the beach dune]][[Image:Wisteriaisland.jpg|right|thumb|450px|[[Wisteria Island]] or Christmas Tree Island about 600 yards off of downtown [[Key West, Florida]] is covered with '''Casuarina'''.<font color="white"> Photo: Marc Averette]]

[[Category:Fagales]]
[[Category:Flora of Australia]]
[[Category:Invasive plant species]]

Casuarina - Revision history

WikiWorks at 03:50, 17 June 2009

Silparaja at 07:01, 16 June 2009

MediaWiki default at 13:56, 4 August 2007