Scientific Name: Casuarina equisetifolia var incana

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  • Common Name:
    Horse-tailed Oak, Coastal Sheoak
  • Type:
  • Family:
    CASUARINACEAE
  • Flowers:
    Red female,
  • Fruit:
    Crowed into a cone with persistent bracts which open like a capsule
  • Vegetation Type:
    Seacoast headlands and along shoreline
  • Species List:
    Plants for Coastal Gardens, Bush food, Bush medicine, Craft, NLTalks2010, Biosphere Day Noosa Woods, Peregian Boardwalk, Fraser Island, Batianoff 87, Regional Ecosystem 12.2.14.
Cultural Notes

TAKE CARE! Some information about bush foods and medicines may be anecdotal. Correct identification and preparation is essential:

Bush Food: Foliage chewed to reduce saliva flow during drought, acted as a thirst quencher. Children chewed immature fruit. Water obtained from stem billetts and roots Bush medicine: Preparation from inner back applied for toothache Timber: Wood used for woomeras.

Identification Notes

Monoecious. Leaves tiny and reduced to small scales. In some areas may be dramatically wind-sheared.

Landscaping Notes

Successfully propagated by Noosa & District Landcare. Hardy tree for sandy well drained soils. Withstands salty winds. Useful for coastal planting and binding dunes.||Feature foliage||Successfully propagated by Coolum Community Native Nursery.||Successfully propagated by Tin Can Bay City Farm Nursery.||Successfully propagated by Barung Landcare||