Common Name: She Oak

General Information

Allocasuarina littoralis is an evergreen shrub or tree with a dense crown growing from 5 - 15 metres tall. It usually branches from quite low down the bole.
The plant is utilized from the wild for its timber and the tannins in its bark. It has excellent potential for use as a sheltering hedge
Allocasuarina littoralis has a high potential to become a weed if grown outside of its native range[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Australia - Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania.

Habitat

Sandy coastal heaths[], especially on poor sandstone soils[]. Widespread on heath and in open forests[]. Found at elevations from sea level to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Allocasuarina littoralis has a very wide climatic tolerance, being found from the south of Tasmania to the tip of northern Queensland, from the temperate zone right through to the moist, lowland tropics. It succeeds in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range 6 - 27°c, with the mean for the hottest month 19 - 30°c and the coolest month -1 - 16°c. It can tolerate temperatures down to about -5°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 650 - 1,250mm[].
Requires a well-drained moisture-retentive soil in full sun[]. Tolerant of a wide range of soils from moderately heavy to sandy, it is often found growing in poor, dry, shallow soils in the wild[, , ]. Succeeds in very acid soils, but does not grow well in alkaline soils[]. Plants are very tolerant of maritime exposure, though they often occur as coarse shrubs when growing in such situations[, ]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
A fast growing tree[].
Plants do not coppice well, nor do they regenerate after fire[].
The bark is rarely corky, in spite of its synonym (suberosa means corky)[].
Plants in this species are usually dioecious, both male and female plants will usually need to be grown if seed is required[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Tolerant of salt-laden, coastal winds, the plant makes an excellent windbreak in exposed situations. It can also be grown to form a hedge or screen[].
The plant has a shallow, spreading root system and has excellent potential for erosion control on sandy soils[].

Other Uses

The bark is used for tanning[].

The wood is hard, heavy and durable. It is used for turnery, tool handles, yokes, furniture, farm buildings, roof shingles, veneer and joinery[, ]. It is of great beauty for cabinet-work, but very apt to rend in drying and so should be used only in veneers[].
The wood makes an excellent, high-quality fuel and is also used to make a high-grade charcoal[, ].

Propagation

Seed - does not require pre-treatment[]. Sow late winter to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed[]. Germination starts in about 7 days at 25°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[, ].