Allocasuarina pinaster 070925-6103

Description:

Australian National Botanic Garden, Canberra. One of a small group of Allocasuarina species from Western Australia with a unique branch structure, with each of the ultiimate branchlets reduced to a single whorl of leaves. As in all other casuarinas the leaves are fused to the branchlet for most of their length, free only at the brownish tip---but in these few species the lateral branchlets have no nodes and are all of equal length, mimicking pine needles---hence the species name.