Casuarinacea

Monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs. Branchlets slender, jointed and striate. Leaves reduced to
whorls of small scales, united at base, forming many-toothed sheaths at the nodes; internodes with
striate grooves corresponding to the number of leaves. Flowers minute, grouped into unisexual silicate
or capitate inflorescence. Male spikes usually terminal on lateral branches. Female heads globose or
ovoid, usually subsessile and axillary. Bracts whorled, each having a sessile flower and each flower is
subtended by a pair of bracteoles. Male flowers with solitary stamen, hooded by 1 or 2 tepals. Female
flowers without perianth; ovary minute, 1-loculed; style short with 2 long filiform stigmas.
Infructescence globular, ovoid or cylindrical, ± woody, formed by enlargement of bract and paired
bracteoles which become more elongated enclosing the fruit and open at maturity like valves. Fruit a
single seeded flattened, terminally winged samara. Seeds exalbuminous; embryo straight with large flat
cotyledons.

Casuarina:
Trees or shrubs. Furrows of branchlets deep and narrow. Nodal leaf sheath 6-many-
toothed, triangular. Bracts remain thin even in infructescence. Samaras pale grey
or yellow-brown, with minute slightly raised wavy lines along the surface.
1. Casuarina equisetifolia
Trees, 10-30 m tall, monoecious. Bark greyish brown or dark brown. Branchlets 1-
1.5 mm in diameter, jointed; internodes 6-8 mm long with 6-8 prominent ridges;
nodal leaf-sheaths with 6-(7)- 8 teeth, pale green, united at base into a short tube,
free part 0.5-1.0 x 0.3-0.5 mm, glabrous but margins shortly ciliate. Male
inflorescence 15-40 mm long, 2-4 mm in diameter, bracts arranged in 10-25 whorls
and each whorl having 6-7 bracts with one flower in each bract; bracteoles
membranous, ovate, acute, 0.5-1.0 x 0.2 mm, tepals 2, membranous, 0.5-0.8 x
0.5 mm. Filaments exserted, 2.0-2.5 mm long; anthers 2-celled, 1-1.5 mm long,
reddish-brown. Female inflorescence in scattered or clustered ovoid-subglobose
heads, 4-8 mm long, stalk 2-12 mm long, bracts ± similar to those of male
inflorescence; perianth 0, pistil bicarpellary, ovary unilocular with 1-2 acending
ovules; stigmas 2-3 mm long, exserted, red. Infructescence globose-oblong, 15-30
x 12-15 mm; 8-9 whorls of paired infructescence valves; 7-8 valves in each whorl,
alternating with the valves located in the next whorl, obovate-oblanceolate, acute.
Samaras 4-8 mm long, yellowish brown
2. Casuarina glauca Sieber:
Trees, c. 18-25 m tall. Branchlets glaucous, 1.5-2.0 mm in diameter, internodes
10-17 mm long with 14-17 inconspicuous ridges; nodal leaf-sheaths with 14-17
teeth, pale-reddish brown, free part 0.4-0.8 x 0.2-0.3 mm. Male inflorescence 25-
45 mm long, 2-4 mm in diameter, bracts arranged in 10-28 whorls and each whorl
having 14 bracts with one flower in each bract Infructescence subglobose-oblong,
15-25 x 10-12 mm; 10-14 whorls of paired infructescence valves; usually 14 valves
in each whorl, alternating with the valves located in the next whorl. Samaras 4- 6
mm long, greyish.

3. Casuarina junghuhniana
Trees up to 25 m tall. Branchlets 0.8-1.0 mm in diameter, internodes 6-7 mm long
with 9-11 prominent ridges; nodal leaf sheaths with 9-11 teeth, straw-pale
coloured, free part 0.6- 0.8 x 0.2-0.3 mm. Male inflorescence 15-35 mm long, 2-4
mm in diameter, bracts arranged in 10-30 whorls and each whorl having usually 9
bracts with one flower in each bract. Infructescence subglobose-oblong, 8-12 x 10-
14 mm; 9-12 whorls of paired infructescence valves; 9-11 valves in each whorl,
alternating with the valves located in the next whorl. Samaras yellowish brown