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Casuarina Equisetifolia Australian Pine She-Oak Seeds
Big packet of 200+seeds of this hardy and iconic native tree!
Know in many parts of the world as the Australian pine, but more commonly in OZ as the She-Oak.
Other names include agas, agasu, agoho, aito, arbe de fer, arbre de fer, arzelibanos, Australian beefwood, Australian oak, beach casuarinas, beach she-oak, beef-wood, beefwood, bius pin do australie, bois de fer, bois pin do australie, casuarina, casuarina, casuarina cola de caballo, casuarina de la nueva holanda, casuarinas, casuarine a feuilles de prele, cavalinho, cemara laut, chorao, coastal she oak and horsetail casuarina, coast ironwood, coast she-oak, common ru, common ru, filao, filao, filao-pays, filao bord-de-mer, filao tree, gagu, horsetail beefwood, horsetail casuarina, horsetail tree, ironwood, jangli saru, jau, jemara laut, kasa ghas, kazuarisboom, mejinoki, mile tree, mokumao, mu ma huang, nakure, ngas, ngasu, nggaro, nokonoko, nokonoko ndamu, ogasawa matsu, palo de buey, phi lao, pin d’australie, pinheiro, pino australiano, pino australiano, pino cipres, pino de australia, pino de chipre, pino de holanda, pino real, pu tong mu ma huang, qaro, rbol de hierro, rbol de la tristeza, ru, ru laut, savukku, schachtelhalmblaettriger kaenguruhbaum, she-oak, she aok, she oak, shewshewe, shingle oak, son th’ale, son thale, strand- kasuarine, gago, swamp oak, thau, tin yu, toa, velau, whistling pine, whistling tree, willow, or just yar.
I like that last one best, and it’s the one I use. “yar”.
Sounds all piratey. haha.
In some places it is still known by the synonyms Casuarina africana, Casuarina brunoniana, Casuarina excelsa and Casuarina indica.
Native to Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnan and it has also been introduced on mass to Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Montserrat, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad, Tobago, and Uganda for erosion control, hardwood timber production, and just as an ornamental.
Some places now regret it, and it is considered a major weed in many places, particularly the USA where decades of Government subsidized distribution programs have caused major issues.
Australian pine needles are used by Florida beekeepers as the perfect smoker fuel. Apparently the needles have all of positive fuel characteristics of pine needles, without the creosote and oily residue.
The seeds are edible and were roasted and eaten by Australian Aboriginies and the sap is a source of water in an emergency.
Digging around the base is a better idea though, as they often indicate sandy soils with a high water table.
Used them to find water myself a few times over the years when I was less prepared for a scrub adventure than I first thought…
Where borers tunnel the trunk the tree produces an edible gum than can be collected and is surprising energizing.
Not a meal or anything, but good to tide you over on a hike or whatever, and a hell of a lot better than nothing!
The green cones are great for sucking on to get the saliva flowing, and the new shoots have a salty tannin taste.
The tannins and salts will also settle down toothache by killing some of the bacteria and deadening the area and the European settlers used it extensively for this reason.
A tea made from the bark is still commonly used all around the world for toothache, sore throat, cough, headache, diarrhea, beri-beri, infections, tropical ulcers, and bruising, and its chemical composition supports these traditional medical uses.
The leaves, bark and stem are also widely regarded as a contraceptive the internet tells me.
I wouldn’t put my faith in it myself, but it is a cool tree!
The timber is a major firewood crop burning at a much higher temperature than most other timbers, and unlike the rest, it will also burn green.
The left over ash is used for making soap, and the ash produced from burning the leaves and cones is used for the extraction of salt, and as an ingredient in spice mixes in its own right.
It is a large deciduous tree with a classically pine like appearance.
It can be grown as a bonsai with great effect, and in nature it can mature to 30meters or more!
Handles just about any soils, even sand and gravel and it excludes salt uptake so effectively, it can be grown directly on the beach!
It is also nitrogen fixing plant, and great at stabilizing soils from erosion.
Very attractive timber that is also known as ironwood because of its natural density and beefwood, because if the grain and deep rich colour.
It was widely introduced to Florida in the 1800’s for canal stabilization and as a fast growing lumber crop.
Growth rates of ~3 meters a year is not unusual in good conditions.
Pretty incredible really!
Wild harvested sustainably by me and the Mrs, no chems, no nasties, no dramas!
