''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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. There, it is typically found on coastal footslopes, hills, and plains. Originally described as ''Casuarina torulosa'' by William Aiton, it was moved to its current genus in 1982 by Australian botanist Lawrie Johnson. It is the type species of the genus '' Allocasuarina''. ''A. torulosa'' is an evergreen tree that typically reaches 12-18 metres (40-60 feet) tall and 4.5-7.5 metres (15-25 feet) wide. It appears to have needle-like

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

, but these are actually twigs; the real leaves are actually in the joint of the needles and appear in whorls of four. These needles have a weeping, pendulous appearance, and turn reddish-brown in the winter. The tree produces warty cones 15-33 millimeters long and 15-15 millimeters in diameter. Its

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

is thick and corky. The timber is reddish pink to brown. It is prized by woodworkers and woodturners as a rare and exotic timber, often used in wood turnings, knife handles and other specialist items. The rose she-oak has the largest contraction along the grain (12%) of any Australian wood and needs to be dried carefully to get full value as a useful timber. It grows from seed, and cut or broken trees will often regenerate from the trunk. This is a low-maintenance tree that will grow in a variety of soils and tolerate light frosts. In the US, it is suitable for

USDA hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

8–11. It may be susceptible to Armillaria and Phytophthora. The seeds have been found to be a food source for the

Yellow-tailed black cockatoo The yellow-tailed black cockatoo (''Zanda funerea'') is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yello ...

References

External links

*
Occurrence data for ''Allocasuarina torulosa''
from The Australasian Virtual Herbarium torulosa Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Trees of Australia Fagales of Australia Drought-tolerant trees {{Australia-rosid-stub