Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Magnoliophyta
Classis: Magnoliopsida
Ordo: Fagales
Familia: Casuarinaceae
Genus: Allocasuarina
Species: A. acuaria - A. acutivalvis - A. brachystachya - A. campestris - A. corniculata - A. crassa - A. decaisneana - A. decussata - A. defungens - A. dielsiana - A. diminuta - A. distyla - A. drummondiana - A. duncanii - A. emuina - A. eriochlamys - A. fibrosa - A. filidens - A. fraseriana - A. glareicola - A. globosa - A. grampiana - A. grevilleoides - A. gymnanthera - A. helmsii - A. huegeliana - A. humilis - A. inophloia - A. lehmanniana - A. littoralis - A. luehmannii - A. mackliniana - A. media - A. microstachya - A. misera - A. monilifera - A. muelleriana - A. nana - A. ophiolitica - A. paludosa - A. paradoxa - A. pinaster - A. portuensis - A. pusilla - A. ramosissima - A. rigida - A. robusta - A. rupicola - A. scleroclada - A. simulans - A. sp. Shaw Island - A. spinosissima - A. striata - A. tessellata - A. thalassoscopica - A. thuyoides - A. tortiramula - A. torulosa - A. trichodon - A. verticillata - A. zephyrea
Name
Allocasuarina L.A.S.Johnson
Vernacular names
Français: Filao
Русский: Аллоказуарина
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, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that function as leaves. Formally termed cladodes, these branchlets somewhat resemble pine needles, although sheoaks are actually flowering plants. The leaves are reduced to minute scales encircling each joint. Fallen cladodes form a dense, soft mat beneath sheoaks, preventing the development of undergrowth and making sheoak woods remarkably quiet.
Another characteristic feature are the spiny "cones", about the size of an acorn but with a texture more resembling a conifer cone. However, sheoak "cones" are actually a woody fruit. Male specimens bear no fruit and are sometimes colloquially referred to as a "heoak".
As with legumes, sheoak roots possess nodules containing symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria; together with their highly drought-adapted foliage, this enables sheoaks to thrive in very poor soil and semi-arid areas. However, sheoaks are much less bushfire-tolerant than eucalypts.
Fossils of closely related species have been found dating back to the time of Gondwana.
Uses
The hard wood and rich texture makes sheoak wood popular among wood-turners. Sheoak wood is also regarded as an excellent firewood as it burns with very little ash.
Because of its ability to grow and develop extensive root systems in very poor or sandy soils, and to completely cover the ground with its "needles", it is often used to stabilise soils in erosion prone areas, or on sand dunes. Sheoak is also used as an ornamental shrub, although for this purpose the mat of "needles" may become a nuisance and must be carefully considered.
List of species
Allocasuarina acuaria
Allocasuarina acutivalvis
Allocasuarina brachystachya
Allocasuarina campestris
Allocasuarina corniculata
Allocasuarina crassa (Cape Pillar Sheoak)
Allocasuarina decaisneana
Allocasuarina decussata (Karri Oak)
Allocasuarina defungens
Allocasuarina dielsiana
Allocasuarina diminuta
Allocasuarina distyla (Scrub Sheoak)
Allocasuarina drummondiana
Allocasuarina duncanii (Duncan's sheoak)
Allocasuarina emuina
Allocasuarina eriochlamys
Allocasuarina fibrosa
Allocasuarina filidens
Allocasuarina fraseriana (Western Sheoak)
Allocasuarina glareicola[1]
Allocasuarina globosa
Allocasuarina grampiana
Allocasuarina grevilleoides
Allocasuarina gymnanthera
Allocasuarina helmsii
Allocasuarina huegeliana (Rock Sheoak)
Allocasuarina humilis (Dwarf Sheoak)
Allocasuarina inophloia (Hairy Oak)
Allocasuarina lehmanniana (Dune Sheoak)
Allocasuarina littoralis (Black Sheoak)[2]
Allocasuarina luehmannii (Bull-oak or Buloke)
Allocasuarina mackliniana (Dwarf Sheoak)
Allocasuarina media
Allocasuarina microstachya
Allocasuarina misera
Allocasuarina monilifera
Allocasuarina muelleriana (Slaty Sheoak)
Allocasuarina nana
Allocasuarina ophiolitica
Allocasuarina paludosa (Scrub Sheoak)
Allocasuarina paradoxa
Allocasuarina pinaster
Allocasuarina portuensis[3]
Allocasuarina pusilla
Allocasuarina ramosissima
Allocasuarina rigida
Allocasuarina robusta
Allocasuarina rupicola
Allocasuarina scleroclada
Allocasuarina simulans
Allocasuarina spinosissima
Allocasuarina striata (Small Bull-oak)
Allocasuarina tessellata
Allocasuarina thalassoscopica
Allocasuarina thuyoides (Horned she-oak)
Allocasuarina tortiramula
Allocasuarina torulosa (Forest Sheoak)
Allocasuarina trichodon
Allocasuarina verticillata (Drooping Sheoak)[4]
Allocasuarina zephyrea
References
^ Allocasuarina glareicola - endangered species listing Department of Environment & Conservation (NSW). Retrieved 2007-01-23.
^ Allocasuarina littoralis www.organicmatters.com.au. Retrieved 2007-01-23.
^ Allocasuarina portuensis Department of the Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 2007-01-23.
^ Allocasuarina verticillata Windmill Outback Nursery, 2003-03-13. Retrieved 2007-01-23.
