River She-oak
Casuarina cunninghamiana
Habit of tree growing in a farming area near Eldoret, Kenya.
Dense clusters of cone-like fruit, each about 8mm dia.
LEAVES: The leaves are minute and appear scale-like along long slender
green twigs. These fine, photosynthetic twigs give the pine-like appearance to
this flowering plant.
TREE: Non-native tree planted widely in highland areas including in
plantations and along rivers for erosion control.
FLOWERS: The flowers are small and without showy petals. Many in
compact, pendulous spikes appearing like catkins. The male and female flowers
appear on separate spikes.
RANGE: This is an invasive, non-native tree. Central Highlands and also
in the Rift Valley highlands.
FRUIT: The fruits are clustered into oval woody catkins, about 1 cm in
dimeter, considerably smaller than C. equisetifolia. The hard
scale-like bracts give the appearance of a pine cone.
UNARMED
A similar species, Coastal She-Oak, is abundant in the coastal area along the
Indian Ocean. Follow the thumb image link for more detail.
Casuarinaceae -- She-Oak Family
More Information:
- Wikipedia
- Purdue University - extensive info on uses and cultivation.
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search