Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

CASUARINA FAMILY (CASUARINACEAE*)
11. Casuarina, Australian beefwood, horsetail casuarina Casuarina equisetifolia L.'
11 tall slender introduced tree with n thin crown, screw splittin are good. Tlie wood is used in
clinractcrized by : (1) ~ vir~, drooping, dark peen tlio m1111d. Gses inc111de fenceposts and poles,
~ieedlelike twigs about 1/32 inch in dinmeter, jointed ben~ns l)ut not underground, oxcart tongues, chnrrind
grooved, with rings of minute grayish scale con1 nnd f11e1.
leaves about %-% inch npnrt ; (2) numerolls small Elsewhere tlie bark has been employed in tnnainle
and female flo~vers cro\vded in inconspicuous . nin in medicine, and in the extraction of n red
light brown cllisters on the snme tree (monoeci- or &ue-black dye. In southern Florid* the fruits
OIIS), the male flowers in nn.rro\v cylindricnl ter- have been made into novelties and Christmas
nii~ial clusters 3Jg-% inch long and as much ns decorations.
i1lc11 across the stamens, nnd fe~nale flowers in Often propngated b cuttings for street, park,
sl~ort-stalked laternl ball-l~ke c111sters less tlinn % ornamental, and wind i renk plnntings, it can also
incll in diameter or inch across the spreading be trimmed into hedges. It is used for reforestacltirk
red st les; and (3) fruit a light brown tion because of its ndnptability to degraded sites
warty coneli i: e ball I,$-% incli in diameter. aa(1 rnpid ro~vth. Nnt~~ral regenerntion is rnre
A rnpidl growing medium-sized evergreen in Puerto
tree to 100 r
A ico because nnts consume nenrl all
eet tall and 1-11/ feet in trunk ditlm- t,lio seeds, but in some tropicnl nrens the p f ants
eter. Tlie bark is light gray grown, s~~~oothisl~ 011 spread rnpidly. On protected sandy seacoasts,
s~nnll trunks, beco~iling rouF;h, furrowed and \vliere this tree is best ndnpted in this region, disllaggy,
and splitti~l into tli~n strips and flakes ameter growth rates of 1 inch per yenr are not
es losing a reddish- & rown 111yer. Inner bark is uncommon. Because some trees have been dere(
\ dish and bitter or astringent. Tlie wiry droop- stroyed by disease in Puerto Rico within recent
ing twigs 9-18 inches long nre dark green, becom- years, plaating for shade or ornnment may not be
ing paler, ancl the older twigs gray bran-11 and desirable.
scnly.
Plnnted in Puerto Rico, especially along the
Leaves are less tl~nn ?(i2 inch long, 6-8 in n consts and less commonly in tlie lower mountain
ring (n-horled) nt a joint or node. The twigs regions. Also in Mona, St. Croix, St. Thomas,
remain green and function like leaves in food and St. John.
mnkinp and are shed grndi~nlly like leaves.
RANQE.-Native of tropical Asia and Austra-
RIinute male flo\t7ers, cro~vded in rings among lnsia but planted and nnturnlized in various tropit
lie grayish scales, co~is~st of 11 protruding brown- cnl and subtropical regions. Southern Florida
ish stamen less than I/g inch long wit11 2 minute including Florida Keys, Bermuda, throu h West
brown sepal scales at base. Femnle flowers lack Indies from Bahamas and Cuba to ~rinifiad, and
sepals but have n pistil nbout inch long with from Mexico to South America.
small ovary and threadlike dark red style.
OTIIER CoamoN NAMEB.-~~~O austraiiano,pino
The multiple fruit, grny green n-lien immature, de Austmlia, pino (Fuerto Rico) ; weeping willon*
is composed of points less than l/s inch long and (ITirgin Islands) ; p~no, ping de Australia (Span-
I~rond, each developing from a flower. An indi- ish) ; ciprds (Cuba, Mexico) ; snuce (Nicaragua) ;
vidual fruit has 2 pointecl scales that split apart liorsetail casuarina, beefwood, horsetail beefwood,
at mnturity and release 1 winged light bron-n seed I~orsetnil-tree, Austrnlian-pine (United States) ;
(nkene) about M incli long (300,000 per pound). beef~vood (Bahamas) ; casunrinn,
Flowering and fr~iitiup tlirough .the year.
Trinidad nnd Tobago).; Christmas-tree
Tlie sapwood is l>ialtish to light hro\vn, tlie huinna) ; pin d'Austrn11e
I~enrt~\-oocl dark brown. Tlle fine-textured wood is West Indies) ; casuarine
very hard, heavy (specific gn~vity 0.81), and very cnzunrinn (Brazil).
s~~sceptible to nttnck by dry-wood termites. It is Cnsuarinn is not related to the true pines, which
strong, tough, difficult to snm, but crncks and spli!s, are not nntive in Puerto Rim. The common name
and is not durable in the ground. Rate of nlr- pino, of course, is descriptive of the wiry green
sensoning is modernte, and nmoant of degrade is tn?i s, \vIiich resemble the needle leaves of pines.
a considerable. 3fnclii1ling chnrncteristics are as A krr relnted species introduced from Australia
follo\vs: planing and tr~rtiing are fair; and shap- nre being tested experimentally in forest plantning,
boring, mortising, sand~ng, and resistance to tions.