Scientific: Casuarina cunninghamiana
Common: Australian beefwood, river oak, river she oak, Australian pine
Family: Casuarinaceae
Origin: Australia, northeast Queensland to southeast New South Wales along permanent freshwater streams.
Invasive Alert: Australian beefwood trees are broadly invasive, most notably in South Africa, Florida, and some Pacific Islands. It is not however invasive in the American Desert Southwest.
Pronounciation: Caz-u-RHI-na cun-ning-hay-me-A-na
Hardiness zones
Sunset 8, 9, 12-24
USDA 8-11
Landscape Use: Light shade tree for mesic, oasis, or xeric landscape designs, light shade tree, skyline tree, silhouette tree, roadside, wayside rest stops, difficult planting sites.
Form & Character: Upright, stout and rugged, graceful, conifer like.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, woody, narrowleaf perennial tree, stiffly branched, moderate growth rate to 40- to 70-feet tall with somewhat less than equal spread, main trunk is especially rugged. Mature trees can grow root suckers, though this is uncommon in Phoenix.
Foliage/Texture: Narrow, needle-like leaves, glaucous green to 6-inches long, somewhat pendulous; medium fine texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Male flowers borne in terminal spikes, to almost 2-inches long, female flowers are small, reddish and oval-shaped; complex fruit structures are cone-like, opening eventually to release samaras (individual wind dispersed fruits).
Seasonal Color: None
Temperature: Tolerant
Light: Full sun
Soil: Tolerant.
Watering: In Phoenix, Australian beefwood will require some additional water, but is adaptable to a range of supplemental watering regimes.
Pruning: Very little needed except to give shape and to raise the crown as desired.
Propagation: Seed
Disease and Pests: None
Additional comments: In Phoenix, this is an uncommon, tough, rugged and highly adaptable fine-textured tree.
Taxonomic tidbit: The species name, cunninghamiana honors the Australian botanist, Alan Cunningham (1791-1839) who was superintendent of the Botanical Gardens at Sydney.
