Family: Casuarinaceae
Plant: A dense bushy shrub up to 3m high with ridged erect stems.
Flowers: The male and female flowers are on separate plants. The male flowers are tiny, rusty reddish-brown and in terminal spikes 7cm long. The female flowers are in ovoid heads on short lateral branchlets, their red styles are obvious.
Flowering: July-September.
Fruit: Cylindrical cone about 12mm diameter and 1.5-3.5cm long with a pointed apex.
Leaves: Leaves reduced to 6-8 leaf teeth. The branchlets are 1-1.5mm diameter and up to 35cm long.
Habitat: In tall heathland on hillsides and sometimes in dry sclerophyll forest in poor soils and deep sand.
Features: Pointed apex on cone. 6-8 leaf teeth. Small but noticeable striped ridges run along the stems.
Name:
Allocasuarina
From Greek allos = different plus the Malay word Kasuari referring to the leaves that suggest the drooping feathers of the Cassowary.
distyla From Latin di = between and stylus = pilar (referring to its double-styled flowers).
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Type |
Shrub |
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Flowers |
Form |
Irregular,Cluster, Spike |
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Colour(s) |
Red, Rust |
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Petal/Sepal No. |
Few |
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Flowering Month |
7, 8, 9 |
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Fruit |
Type |
Cone |
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Colour |
Brown, Black |
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Other Features |
Woody, Hard |
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Leaves |
Arrangement |
Reduced/Absent |
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Type |
- |
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Shape |
- |
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Length |
Tiny |
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Margins |
- |
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Attachment |
- |
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- |
Other Features |
- |
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Bark |
- |
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Habitat |
Dry sclerophyll forest, Heathland |
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