![Casuarina equisetifolia fruits](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Casuarina_equisetifolia_fruits.jpg)
''Casuarina'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of 17 tree species in the family
Casuarinaceae
The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacifi ...
, native to
Australia, the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
,
southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
,
islands
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
of the western
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, and eastern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. It was once treated as the
sole genus in the family, but has since been split into four genera (see:
Casuarinaceae
The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacifi ...
).
[Flora of Australia]
''Casuarina''
/ref>
They are evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
shrubs and tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s growing to tall. The slender, green to grey-green twigs bearing minute scale-leaves in whorls of 5–20. The apetalous flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are produced in small catkin-like inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
s. Most species are dioecious, but a few are monoecious. The fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a woody, oval structure superficially resembling a conifer cone
A conifer cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants. It is usually woody, ovoid to globular, including scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, especially in conife ...
, made up of numerous carpels, each containing a single seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
with a small wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
. The generic name is derived from the Malay word for the cassowary
Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical fore ...
, ''kasuari'', alluding to the similarities between the bird's feathers and the plant's foliage, though the tree is called ''ru'' in Modern Malay.
Karen Louise Wilson
Karen Louise Wilson (born 1950) is an Australian botanist.
Some of her research interests are: systematics, phylogenetic and biogeographic studies on Cyperaceae, Casuarinaceae, Juncaceae and Polygonaceae. Other professional interests inclu ...
and Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson
Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson FAA, (26 June 1925 – 1 August 1997) known as Lawrie Johnson, was an Australian taxonomic botanist. He worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, for the whole of his professional career, as a botanist (19 ...
distinguish the two very closely related genera, ''Casuarina'' and ''Allocasuarina
''Allocasuarina'' is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus '' Casuarina'', they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks.
...
'' on the basis of:
*''Casuarina'': the mature samaras being grey or yellow brown, and dull; cone bracteoles thinly woody, prominent, extending well beyond cone body, with no dorsal protuberance;
*''Allocasuarina
''Allocasuarina'' is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus '' Casuarina'', they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks.
...
'': the mature samaras being red brown to black, and shiny; cone bracteoles thickly woody and convex, mostly extending only slightly beyond cone body, and usually with a separate angular, divided or spiny dorsal protuberance.
Ecology
''Casuarina'' species are a food source of the larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
e of hepialid moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s; members of the genus ''Aenetus
''Aenetus'' is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings, but some are predomi ...
'', including '' A. lewinii'' and '' A. splendens'', burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. ''Endoclita malabaricus
''Endoclita malabaricus'' is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from India.
Food plants for this species include ''Acacia'', ''Ailanthus'', ''Albizia'', ''Bridelia'', '' Cajanus'', ''Callicarpa'', ''Camellia'', '' Cassia'', ' ...
'' also feeds on ''Casuarina''. The noctuid
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...
turnip moth
''Agrotis segetum'', sometimes known as the turnip moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is a common European species and it is found in Africa and across ...
is also recorded feeding on ''Casuarina''.
Pedunculagin
Pedunculagin is an ellagitannin. It is formed from casuarictin via the loss of a gallate group.
Natural occurrence
Pedunculagin is found in plants in orders in the clade Rosidae. It can be found the pericarp of pomegranates (''Punica granatum ...
, casuarictin, strictinin
Strictinin is a bioactive chemical of the ellagitannin family of hydrolyzable tannins. This compound shows activity against influenza virus
''Orthomyxoviridae'' (from Greek ὀρθός, ''orthós'' 'straight' + μύξα, ''mýxa'' 'mucus') is a ...
, casuarinin
Casuarinin is an ellagitannin. It is found in the pericarp of pomegranates (''Punica granatum''). It is also found in ''Casuarina'' and '' Stachyurus'' species and in '' Alnus sieboldiana''.
It is an isomer of casuarictin. It is a highly active ...
and casuariin are ellagitannins
The ellagitannins are a diverse class of hydrolyzable tannins, a type of polyphenol formed primarily from the oxidative linkage of galloyl groups in 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl glucose. Ellagitannins differ from gallotannins, in that their galloyl grou ...
found in the species within the genus.
Invasive species
'' C. cunninghamiana'', '' C. glauca'' and '' C. equisetifolia'' have become naturalized in many countries, including Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
, Cayman Islands, Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, China, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
, Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. They are considered an invasive species[USFS FEIS]
''Casuarina''
/ref>[USDA Forest service]
/ref> in the United States, especially in southern Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
where they have nearly quadrupled in number between 1993 and 2005 and are called the Australian pine.[
''C. equisetifolia'' is widespread in the Hawaiian Islands where it grows both on the seashore in dry, salty, calcareous soils and up in the mountains in high rainfall areas on volcanic soils. It is also an invasive plant in ]Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
, where it was introduced to replace the ''Juniperus bermudiana
''Juniperus bermudiana'' is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. This species is most commonly known as Bermuda cedar, but is also referred to as Bermuda juniper (Bermudians refer to it simply as ''cedar''). Historically, this tree formed wo ...
'' windbreaks killed by a scale insect in the 1940s.[
]
Species List
''Casuarina'' comprises the following species:
* '' Casuarina collina'' Poiss. ex Pancher & Sebert
* ''Casuarina cristata
''Casuarina cristata'' is an Australian tree of the sheoak family Casuarinaceae known as belah. It is native to a band across inland eastern Australia.
Taxonomy
The Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel described the belah in 1848, and ...
'' Miq. (northeastern Australia: Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
).
* '' Casuarina cunninghamiana'' Miq. – river she-oak (northern and eastern Australia: Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
to New South Wales)
* '' Casuarina equisetifolia'' L. – beach she-oak, common ironwood, Australian pine (Florida),[IFAS]
SRFer Mapserver
casuarina, whistling pine (northern Australia, southeastern Asia, doubtfully native to Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
), ঝাউ in বাংলা (Bengali), ಗಾಳಿ ಮರ (gaali mara) in Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
.
* ''Casuarina glauca
''Casuarina glauca'', commonly known as the swamp she-oak, swamp oak, grey oak, or river oak, is a species of ''Casuarina'' native to the east coast of Australia. It is found from central Queensland south to southern New South Wales. It has becom ...
'' Sieber ex Spreng. grey she-oak, longleaf ironwood, saltmarsh ironwood, swamp oak (New South Wales)
* ''Casuarina grandis
''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fa ...
'' L.A.S.Johnson (New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
)
* ''Casuarina junghuhniana
''Casuarina junghuhniana'', the mountain ru or red-tipped ru, is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina'' that originated in Java and Lesser Sunda Islands. The species has been introduced to Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Description
''Casuarin ...
'' Miq. (Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
)
* '' Casuarina obesa'' Miq. (southern Australia: southwestern Western Australia, New South Wales ne site, now extirpated Victoria)
* '' Casuarina oligodon'' L.A.S.Johnson (New Guinea)
* '' Casuarina orophila'' L.A.S.Johnson
* '' Casuarina pauper'' F.Muell. ex L.A.S.Johnson (Australia)
* '' Casuarina potamophila'' Schltr.
* '' Casuarina tenella'' Schltr.
* '' Casuarina teres'' Schltr.
Species names with uncertain taxonomic status
The status of the following species is unresolved:
* ''Casuarina defungens'' L.A.S. Johnson
* ''Casuarina hexagona'' Dehnh.
* ''Casuarina litorea'' Rumph.
* ''Casuarina lucida'' Dehnh.
* ''Casuarina prisea'' Miq.
Formerly placed here
* '' Allocasuarina acuaria'' (F. Muell.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. acuaria'' F.Muell.)
* '' Allocasuarina acutivalvis'' (F. Muell.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. acutivalvis'' F.Muell.)
* '' Allocasuarina campestris'' (Diels) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. campestris'' Diels)
* '' Allocasuarina corniculata'' (F.Muell.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. corniculata'' F.Muell.)
* '' Allocasuarina decussata'' (Benth.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. decussata'' Benth.)
* '' Allocasuarina distyla'' (Vent.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. distyla'' Vent.)
* '' Allocasuarina drummondiana'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. drummondiana'' Miq.)
* '' Allocasuarina fibrosa'' (C.A.Gardner) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. fibrosa'' C.A.Gardner)
* ''Allocasuarina fraseriana
''Allocasuarina fraseriana'', commonly known as western sheoak, common sheoak, WA sheoak. Fraser's sheoak or just sheoak, is a tree in the family Casuarinaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs near the coast in the south west corner o ...
'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. fraseriana'' Miq.)
* '' Allocasuarina grevilleoides'' (Diels) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. grevilleoides'' Diels)
* '' Allocasuarina helmsii'' (Ewart & Gordon) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. helmsii'' Ewart & Gordon)
* '' Allocasuarina huegeliana'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. huegeliana'' Miq.)
* '' Allocasuarina humilis'' (Otto & A. Dietr.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. humilis'' Otto & A.Dietr.)
* ''Allocasuarina inophloia
''Allocasuarina inophloia'', also known as woolly oak, or stringybark she-oak, is a shrub or small tree of the she-oak family Casuarinaceae endemic to inland New South Wales and Queensland. The hairy bark is an unusual feature.
Taxonomy
First co ...
'' (F. Muell. & F. M. Bailey) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. inophloia'' F.Muell. & F.M.Bailey)
* ''Allocasuarina lehmanniana'' subsp. ''lehmanniana'' (as ''C. baxteriana'' Miq. or ''C. lehmanniana'' Miq.)
* '' Allocasuarina littoralis'' (Salisb.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. littoralis'' Salisb. or ''C. suberosa'' Otto & A.Dietr.)
* ''Allocasuarina luehmannii
''Allocasuarina luehmannii'' (buloke or bull-oak) is a species of ironwood tree native to Australia and its wood
is the hardest commercially available as measured by the Janka Hardness Scale.
Description
The evergreen tree typically grows ...
'' (R.T.Baker) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. luehmannii'' R.T.Baker)
* ''Allocasuarina muelleriana
''Allocasuarina muelleriana'', commonly known as the slaty sheoak, is a small tree of the genus ''Allocasuarina'' native to South Australia and Victoria.
The fast growing dioecious
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a spec ...
'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. muelleriana'' Miq.)
* ''Allocasuarina nana
''Allocasuarina nana'', commonly known as dwarf she-oak or as stunted sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a low, spreading dioecious, rarely monoecious ...
'' (Sieber ex Spreng.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. nana'' Sieber ex Spreng.)
* '' Allocasuarina paludosa'' (Sieber ex Spreng.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. paludosa'' Sieber ex Spreng.)
* '' Allocasuarina pusilla'' (Macklin) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. pusilla'' Macklin)
* '' Allocasuarina thuyoides'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. thuyoides'' Miq.)
* ''Allocasuarina torulosa
''Allocasuarina torulosa'', the rose she-oak or forest oak, is a tree which grows in sub-rainforest (just outside the main forest area) of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. There, it is typically found on coastal footslopes, hills, and ...
'' (Aiton) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. tenuissima'' Sieber ex Spreng. or ''C. torulosa'' Aiton)
* '' Allocasuarina trichodon'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. trichodon'' Miq.)
* ''Allocasuarina verticillata
''Allocasuarina verticillata'', commonly known as drooping she-oak or drooping sheoak, is a nitrogen fixing native tree of southeastern Australia.
Originally collected in Tasmania and described as ''Casuarina verticillata'' by French naturalist ...
'' (Lam.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. quadrivalvis'' Labill., ''C. stricta'' Aiton or ''C. verticillata'' Lam.)
* ''Gymnostoma deplancheanum
''Gymnostoma'' is a genus of about eighteen species of trees and shrubs, constituting one of the four genera of the plant family Casuarinaceae. The species grow naturally in the tropics, including at high altitudes having temperate climates, i ...
'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. deplancheana'' Miq.)
* '' Gymnostoma nodiflorum'' (Thunb.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. angulata'' J.Poiss. or ''C. nodiflora'' Thunb.)
* '' Gymnostoma papuanum'' (S. Moore) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. papuana'' S.Moore)
* '' Gymnostoma rumphianum'' (Miq.) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. rumphiana'' Miq.)
* '' Gymnostoma sumatranum'' (Jungh. ex de Vriese) L.A.S.Johnson (as ''C. sumatrana'' Jungh. ex de Vriese)
References
External Links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q756005
Fagales genera