Casuarina or ‘She-Oak’, Plant Profile and Landscaping Uses
Casuarina sheoaks, or she-oaks are great for attracting native birds. Casuarina make a good screening plant or windbreak.
With the two names Casuarina and Allocasuarina causing some confusion, they are very closely related, Allo simply means ‘like’. Sometimes called native pines due to the pine like needles or foliage, however these are a flowering plant and individual plants may be male or female. With both upright and prostrate or ‘weeping’ forms available they are an underused landscaping plant with much potential. Some species are also useful as a boundary windbreak in broader landscapes.
A group of evergreen trees and shrubs, with some low growing ground cover plants they are a very useful addition to many landscaping schemes.
Casuarina / Allocasuarina, including Allocasuarina littoralis, Allocasuarina verticulata, are available from wholesale growers as Tube Stock through to advanced sizes.
Used as screening plants, feature trees and background planting some species have other uses. C.obesa is an excellent plant for helping to remediate salt affected soils. With nitrogen fixing nodules on the root system. Both upright and prostrate forms are available. Other species have similar capabilities.
Allocasuarina Varieties
- Allocasuarina littoralis is a small to medium sized tree to 10m
- Allocasuarina verticulata with a slightly drooping habit this is a slow growing tree to 10m, often smaller. Commonly called the ‘Drooping SheOak’
- Allocasuarina torulosa is the ‘Forest SheOak’, reaches 10 m in height with a spreading crown to 8m.
Casuarina Varieties
- C. glauca prostrata – Ground hugging ground cover plant, prostrate to less than .5m. Can be used instead of low growing conifers in many situations.
- C. crista – Tall growing species.
- C. cunninghamiana – Upright tree to 10 – 15m
- C. suberosa – Small tree to 6 – 8 m
- C. obesa – Small tree with prostrate forms also available.
WHOLESALE CASUARINA Allocasuarina NURSERIES
111 Stanhope Road Theresa Park NSW 2570
Offering a variety of sun hardy Australian natives and exotic trees, shrubs, groundcover's and perennials from semi advanced through to super advanced and semi-mature stock.
www.downesnursery.com.au
146 Dignams Crk Rd via Narooma NSW 2546
Tubestock - [50mm forestry tubes and 70mm supertubes] specializing in Bush Tucker Plants , Natives indigenous to the NSW South Coast , Permaculture Plants - Fruits, Nuts & Berries .
www.southcoastflora.com.au
1750 Westernport Rd Heath Hill VIC 3981
Australias largest grower of semi advanced native and deciduous trees. .9 - 2.6mts high. Supplying councils, developers and landscapers. Includes Acacia implexa, acacia melanoxlylon.
www.dream-time.com.au
1870 South Gippsland Hwy Cranbourne Vic 3977 - email:sales@faceysnursery.com.au
Growers of a wide range of native & exotic trees, shrubs, ground covers and climbers in 14cm pots Promotional & PBR Lines and garden hardy favourites. Supplying all states. www.faceysnursery.com.au
email ask@plantmark.com.au
One of Australia's largest wholesale trade nurseries. Over 30,000 species available, tubestock to advanced trees, an almost unlimited choice of plants.
www.plantmark.com.au