Trees

Family: Casuarinaceae
Syn. Casuarina verticillata, Casuarina stricta, Casuarina quadrivalvis,
Other Common Names: Coast She-oak, Drooping She-oak, Drooping Sheoke, Hill Oak, Mountain Oak,River Oak, Shingle Oak.
Name Derivation: Casuarina – from Latin Casuarius for cassowary, for its resemblance to the Cassowary bird’s feathers.
Drooping Sheoke is a tree to 4-10 m tall.
Although known as a coastal plant, it is widespread across Victoria, and grows in SA, NSW and Tasmania. Drooping Sheoke grows on rocky plains and hills, and on dry rocky hills and ridges in highlands. It is extremely heat-tolerant, and will grow, once established, with minimal additional irrigation. The finely grooved grey-green branchlets function as leaves. In this species of Allocasuarina the branchlets are mostly drooping, as the name suggests.
Male and female flowers occur on different plants. The male flowers are up to 12 cm long, consisting of orange stamens emerging from the branchlets. The female flowers are a dense, red tuft of styles, about 1 cm wide. Flowers can occur at any time of the year.
The fruit is a woody cone, to 50 x 30 mm, with numerous, beaked capsules, each containing winged seeds. There are usually many cones lying on the ground under a female tree.
Aborigines are reputed to have used the wood for making implements and weapons.

Ref: Flora of Victoria, Viridens Database, Native Trees and Shrubs of SE Australia.