Allocasuarina fraseriana

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Allocasuarina fraseriana
Allocasuarina fraseriana 2.jpg
In Albany
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Casuarinaceae
Genus: Allocasuarina
Species:
A. fraseriana
Binomial name
Allocasuarina fraseriana
AllocasuarinafraserianaDistributionMap19.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Allocasuarina fraseriana, commonly known as western sheoak, [3] or Fraser's sheoak [4] is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae, and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. The Noongar peoples know the tree as kondil, [5] condil, [6] kulli or gulli. [7] It is a monoecious tree that has branchlets up to 300 mm (12 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of six to eight, and the mature fruiting cones 15–40 mm (0.6–2 in) long, containing winged seeds (samaras) 10 mm (0.4 in) long.

Contents

Description

Allocasuarina fraseriana is a monoecious tree that typically grows to a height of 5–15 m (16–49 ft), the trunk with a dbh of 0.5–1 m (1 ft 8 in – 3 ft 3 in). Its branchlets are more or less erect, up to 300 mm (12 in) long, the leaves reduced to spreading, scale-like teeth 0.7–1.2 mm (0.03–0.05 in) long, arranged in whorls of six to eight around the branchlets. The sections of branchlet between the leaf whorls (the "articles") are 7–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and 0.8–1.3 mm (0.03–0.05 in) in diameter. Male flowers are arranged in spikes 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long, the anthers 0.7–1.2 mm (0.03–0.05 in) long. Female cones are shortly cylindrical and covered with soft hair when young, the mature cones 15–40 mm (0.6–2 in) long and 15–22 mm (0.6–0.9 in) in diameter, the samaras 10 mm (0.4 in) long. Flowering occurs from May to October. [3] [8] [9] [10]

Taxonomy

This species of sheoak was first formally described in 1848 by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel, who gave it the name Casuarina fraseriana in Revisio critica Casuarinarum. [11] It was reclassified in 1982 as Allocasuarina fraseriana by Lawrie Johnson in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens . [12] The specific name fraseriana honours the botanist Charles Fraser. [13]

Distribution and habitat

Allocasuarina fraseriana grows in jarrah woodland and open forest in near-coastal regions between Perth and Albany, with a disjunct population between Moora and Jurien Bay, in the Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of south-west Western Australia. [3] [9]

Conservation status

Western sheoak is listed as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. [9]

Ecology

The seed of the plant is favoured by red-eared firetails (Stagonopleura oculata), an endemic grass finch. [14]

Uses

Indigenous uses

Noongar women traditionally gave birth beneath the tree, because of the soft needles. The needles were also used for bedding in shelters and often covered with a kangaroo skin cloak to make a bed. [7] The wood was used to make boomerangs. [5]

Construction

Early settlers of Western Australia used sheoak timber for roof shingles. Later it was used in the construction of kegs and casks. Today, the timber is prized for its broad medullary rays, and is often used for wood-turning and carving of decorative ornaments. The sapwood is a pale yellow colour and the heartwood is dark-red to brown. The texture is moderately fine and even. Green wood has a density of about 1,000 kg/m3 (1,700 lb/cu yd), and that of air-dried wood is about 730 kg/m3 (1,230 lb/cu yd). [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Allocasuarina</i> Genus of flowering plants

Allocasuarina, commonly known as sheoak or she-oak, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to Australia. Plants in the genus Allocasuarina are trees or shrubs with soft, pendulous, green branchlets, the leaves reduced to scale-like teeth. Allocasuarinas are either monoecious or dioecious, the flowers never bisexual. Male and female flowers are arranged in spikes, the female spikes developing into cone-like structures enclosing winged seeds.

<i>Allocasuarina huegeliana</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina huegeliana, commonly known as rock sheoak is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a dioecious tree that has its leaves reduced to scales in whorls of eight to ten, the mature fruiting cones 14–35 mm (0.55–1.38 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina lehmanniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina lehmanniana, commonly known as dune sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of the south-west of Western Australia. It is dioecious or less commonly a monoecious shrub that has its leaves reduced to scales in whorls of six to eight, the mature fruiting cones 12–35 mm (0.47–1.38 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 4.0–5.5 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina torulosa</i> Species of tree

Allocasuarina torulosa, commonly known as forest oak, rose sheoak, river oak or Baker's oak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a slender, usually dioecious tree that has drooping branchlets up to 140 mm (5.5 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of four or five, and the fruiting cones 15–33 mm (0.6–1 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 7–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina humilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina humilis, commonly known as dwarf sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading dioecious or monoecious shrub that has its leaves reduced to scales in whorls of five to seven, the mature fruiting cones 12–22 mm (0.47–0.87 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina decaisneana</i> Species of plant

Allocasuarina decaisneana, commonly known as desert oak, desert sheoak, or kurkara by the Anangu peoples, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to Central Australia. It is a dioecious tree that typically grows to a height of 10–16 m (33–52 ft) and has long, drooping branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of four, the mature fruiting cones 28–95 mm (1.1–3.7 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 8.5–17 mm (0.3–0.7 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina verticillata</i> Species of plant

Allocasuarina verticillata, commonly known as drooping sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small dioecious tree that has drooping branchlets up to 400 mm (16 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of nine to thirteen, the mature fruiting cones 20–50 mm (0.8–2 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 7–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina littoralis</i> Species of tree

Allocasuarina littoralis, commonly known as black she-oak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is dioecious, or less commonly a monoecious tree or shrub, that has its leaves reduced to scales, usually in whorls of six to eight, the mature fruiting cones 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 4.0–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina campestris</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina campestris is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, monoecious or dioecious shrub that has more or less erect branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of seven to nine, the mature fruiting cones 19–42 mm (0.75–1.65 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 4.7–10 mm (0.19–0.39 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina brachystachya</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina brachystachya is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. It is an open, usually monoecious shrub that has branchlets up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of 5 to 7, the fruiting cones 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina acuaria</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina acuaria is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a dioecious shrub that has erect branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of four on the ends of the branchlets, the fruiting cones 15–19 mm (0.59–0.75 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) about 6 mm (0.24 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina dielsiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina dielsiana, commonly known as northern sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dioecious tree that has more or less erect branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of six to eight, and the mature fruiting cones 14–30 mm (0.55–1.18 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina eriochlamys</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina eriochlamys is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Western Australia. It is a dense, erect, monoecious or dioecious shrub that has more or less erect branchlets, its leaves reduced to scales in whorls of eight to ten, the mature fruiting cones 20–45 mm (0.79–1.77 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 5.0–10.5 mm (0.20–0.41 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina fibrosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina fibrosa, commonly known as woolly sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dioecious shrub that has branchlets 20–50 mm (0.79–1.97 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of four, and the mature fruiting cones 11–25 mm (0.43–0.98 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina grevilleoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina grevilleoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, spreading, dioecious shrub that forms a lignotuber, and has more or less erect, sharply-pointed branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of four, the mature fruiting cones 9–14 mm (0.35–0.55 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 5.5–7.0 mm (0.22–0.28 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina spinosissima</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina spinosissima is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a monoecious shrub with its leaves reduced to overlapping scales in whorls of nine to eleven, the mature fruiting cones 10–23 mm (0.39–0.91 in) long, containing winged seeds 5.5–7.0 mm (0.22–0.28 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina thuyoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina thuyoides, commonly known as horned sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is monoecious or dioecious shrub that has its leaves reduced to scales in whorls of five or six, the mature fruiting cones 8–20 mm (0.31–0.79 in) long containing winged seeds usually 5.0–6.0 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina trichodon</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina trichodon is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to areas along the south coast of Western Australia. It is a dioecious, rarely a monoecious shrub that has branchlets up to 300 mm (12 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of eight to ten, and the fruiting cones 15–50 mm (0.59–1.97 in) long containing winged seeds 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long.

<i>Allocasuarina monilifera</i> Species of flowering plant

Allocasuarina monilifera, commonly known as necklace sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is usually a monoecious, low-growing shrub that has branchlets up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of six to nine, the fruiting cones 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in) long containing winged seeds 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long.

Allocasuarina anfractuosa, commonly known as sinuous sheoak, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to a restricted area in the southwest of Western Australia. It is a bushy, monoecious shrub that has spreading, sinuous branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of 11 to 15, the fruiting cones 28–35 mm (1.1–1.4 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) long.

References

  1. IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (2020). "Allocasuarina fraseriana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T172665268A172923755. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T172665268A172923755.en . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. "Allocasuarina fraseriana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Allocasuarina fraseriana". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  4. "Allocasuarina fraseriana Common name: Fraser's Sheoak". Friends of Queens Park Bushland. 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Noongar glossary; Noongar Words and Definitions". Government of Western Australia. 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  6. "Noongar names for plants". kippleonline.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Plants of the Denmark walk trails: Traditional Noongar Names and Uses". Green skills Inc. Archived from the original on 2017-07-12. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Species information" (PDF). Western Australia Forest Products Commission. p. 45. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Allocasuarina fraseriana". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  10. Holliday, Ivan (1989). A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Melbourne: Hamlyn Australia. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-947334-08-6.
  11. "Casuarina fraseriana". APNI. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  12. "Allocasuarina fraseriana". APNI. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  13. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 202. ISBN   9780958034180.
  14. Storr, G. M. (1991). Birds of the South-west Division of Western Australia (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement no. 35. Western Australian Museum. pp. 132–33. OCLC   24474223. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-28.