Casuarina cunninghamiana

Casuarina cunninghamiana, commonly known as river oak or river she-oak,[3] is a she-oak species of the genus Casuarina. The native range in Australia extends from Daly River in the Northern Territory, north and east in Queensland and eastern New South Wales.[4][5]

Casuarina cunninghamiana
Casuarina cunninghamiana tree in flower.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Casuarinaceae
Genus: Casuarina
Species:
C. cunninghamiana
Binomial name
Casuarina cunninghamiana
Occurrence data from GBIF[

Description
Male flowers of a C. cunninghamiana subsp. cunninghamiana.
Immature seedpods in situ

The River Oak is an evergreen tree with fine greyish green needle-like foliage that grows to a height of 10–35 m (33–115 ft) with a spread of about 10 metres (33 ft).[4][6] The trunk is usually erect, with dense rough bark. Flowers are reddish-brown in the male and red in the female.[4] Cones are small, nearly round to elongated and about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) across.[4]

Habitat

Trees are usually found in sunny locations along stream banks and swampy areas.[4] It's widely recognised as an important tree for stabilising riverbanks and for soil erosion prevention accepting wet and dry soils. The foliage is quite palatable to stock.[5] C. cunninghamiana is frost tolerant down to around −8 °C (18 °F) and is widely used effectively as a screening plant. It is useful on windy sites and is also suited to coastal areas. C. cunninghamiana has been introduced into several other countries for the purpose of agroforestry.[6]

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:

  • C. cunninghamiana subsp. cunninghamiana. Large tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall. Eastern New South Wales, north and east Queensland.[4][6]
  • C. cunninghamiana subsp. miodon. Small tree to 12 m (39 ft) tall. Daly River and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland.[4][6]

The species has many common names including River Oak, River She-oak or Creek Oak.[5]

Invasive species

Casuarina cunninghamiana is an invasive species in the Everglades in Florida[7] and in South Africa.[8]

References
  1. "Casuarina cunninghamiana". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. Miquel, F.A.W. (1848) Revisio critica Casuarinarum: 56, t. VI A
  3. Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq.
  4. Boxshall, Ben; Jenkyn, Tim. "River she-oak" (PDF). Department of Primary Industries. Victorian Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  5. Boland, D. J.; Brooker, M. I. H.; Chippendale, G. M.; McDonald, M. W. (2006). Forest trees of Australia (5th ed.). Collingwood, Vic.: CSIRO Publishing. p. 80. ISBN 0-643-06969-0.
  6. "Casuarina cunninghamiana". Florabank. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  7. "Biological control of Australian native Casuarina species in the USA". Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. 16 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  8. "SANBI:Declared Weeds & Invader Plants". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
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