''Casuarina cunninghamiana'', commonly known as river oak or river she-oak, is a

she-oak 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 ...

species of the genus ''

Casuarina ''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 th ...

''. The native range in Australia extends from Daly River in the

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 ...

, north and east in

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 ...

and eastern

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 ...

Description

The River Oak is an evergreen tree with fine greyish green needle-like

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

that grows to a height of with a spread of about . The trunk is usually erect, with dense rough bark. Flowers are reddish-brown in the male and red in the female. Cones are small, nearly round to elongated and about across.

Habitat

Trees are usually found in sunny locations along stream banks and swampy areas. 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. ''C. cunninghamiana'' is frost tolerant down to around 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 Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Trees produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional ...

Subspecies

There are two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

: *''C. cunninghamiana'' subsp. ''cunninghamiana''. Large tree to tall. Eastern New South Wales, north and east Queensland. *''C. cunninghamiana'' subsp. ''miodon''. Small tree to tall. Daly River and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. The species has many common names including River Oak, River She-oak or Creek Oak.

Invasive species

''Casuarina cunninghamiana'' is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...

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 ...

and in South Africa.

References

External links

Australian Biological Resources Study

GBIF: ''Casuarina cunninghamiana''
(showing occurrence data and further images) {{Taxonbar, from=Q662316 cunninghamiana Trees of Australia Fagales of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Drought-tolerant trees