She-oak
Australian Pine
Casuarina equisetifolia
Trees growing in a swampy areas of a revegetated limestone quarry near Mombasa, Kenya.
LEAVES: The leaves are very small and appear scale-like. Six to eight
scales appear at each node on long very slender twigs; the twigs are gray-green
and very flexible. These fine, photosynthetic twigs give the pine-like
appearance to this flowering plant.
TREE: Non-native tree that thrives in deep, sometimes salty saturated
soils.
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. It is often planted for
revegetation purposes and tolerates soils that are partly saline and sometimes
water-logged. It is a plant of disturbed sites along the Indian Ocean coast.
FRUIT: The fruits are oval and woody, about 1 to 2 cm. in dia.
UNARMED.
A similar species, River She-Oak, is common in the highlands areas of Kenya.
Follow the thumb image link for more detail.
Casuarinaceae -- She-Oak Family
More Information:
- Wikipedia
- Purdue University - extensive info on uses and cultivation.
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search