Allocasuarina distyla

(Vent.) L. A. S. Johnson

Scrub she-oak

Casuarinaceae Edible: Gum, Seeds 812 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by

iNaturalist· cc-by-sa

Summary

Allocasuarina distyla, commonly known as scrub she-oak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It is a dioecious shrub that has branchlets up to 350 mm (14 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of six to eight, the fruiting cones 13–35 mm (0.51–1.38 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 4.0–8.0 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long.

Description

A shrub or small tree. Plants are separately male and female. It grows 1-5 m tall. The bark on the trunk is rough and grey. The small branches are dark green and 33 cm long. They are 1 mm across. The male flowers are on the tip of the branches. The female flowers are clustered in round heads on the end of short stalks. The cones develop into woody valves. These are 2-3 cm long by 15-18 mm wide. The seeds are small and shiny.