Allocasuarina verticillata
CASUARINACAE
Drooping She-oak
This was formerly known as Casuarina stricta.
Small tree, 4-10m tall.
Naturally occurring in a wide range of habitats including rocky outcrops, coastal heathlands & plains in granite, sandy, limestone & clay soils.
Dark, fissured, hard bark.
Dropping branchlets of pendulous overlapping pine-like leaf structures with small teeth.
During winter the tree has small golden flowers, giving the tree a golden look..
Cylindrical woody cones 30-40mm long x 20-30mm across, with sharp protruding valves that open upon ripening to release the dark seeds.
Collect the cones at any time of the year by twisting off with your gloved hands, when they have turned to a darker grey-brown colour. Store dry container to collect the released seed. Sprinkle over propagation mix, cover lightly, in late Winter & Spring or direct sow into lightly tilthed soil. Should germinate in 14 days.
Useful for windbreaks & shelter belts. Long lived soil improver, by fixing nitrogen. A favourite food source for the Black Cockatoo, other birds & insects.