NAME: Casuarina equisetifolia

FAMILY: Casuarinaceae

COMMON NAMES: Australian pine, horse-tail tree, whistling pine, She Oak

LOCAL NAMES: agoho pine, agoso, aro

MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:

Casuarina equisetifolia is a tall (grows up to 35m height), slender, much branched evergreen tree that is deciduous and grows in open, coastal habitats.

USEFUL PART(s): Leaves, seeds, roots, twig, bark

GENERAL USES:

Seeds are roasted for salt
Leaves are used for ornamental purposes
Bark contains a red pigment which is used as dye
Bark is used for preserving ropes.
Wood is used to produce paper pulp
Wood is highly regarded as a fuel
A decoction of the twigs is used for treating swellings
Roots extracts are used to treat dysentery, diarrhoea and stomach ache
Powdered bark is used for treating pimples on the face

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:

Asia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Antipyretic
Salt tolerant tree
Dysentery
Diarrhoea
Stomach ache
Asthma

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

It helps control erosion and is a wind breaking element

It is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen

Can serve as an ornamental plant

FUN FACT:

The fruit resembles a conifer cone made up of numerous carpels each containing a single seed with a small wing.

FURTHER READING

Casuarina equisetifolia Linn. (2011). In SpringerReference. https://doi.org/10.1007/springerreference_68248

Khare, C. P. (2007). Casuarina equisetifolia Linn. In Indian Medicinal Plants. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-70638-2_311

Kumar, R., Pandey, K. K., Chandrashekar, N., & Mohan, S. (2011). Study of age and height wise variability on calorific value and other fuel properties of Eucalyptus hybrid, Acacia auriculaeformis and Casuarina equisetifolia. Biomass and Bioenergy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.12.031

Samarakoon, M. B., Tanaka, N., & Iimura, K. (2013). Improvement of effectiveness of existing Casuarina equisetifolia forests in mitigating tsunami damage. Journal of Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.10.050

Valdés, M., Pérez, N. O., Estrada-De Los Santos, P., Caballero-Mellado, J., Peña-Cabriales, J. J., Normand, P., & Hirsch, A. M. (2005). Non-Frankia actinomycetes isolated from surface-sterilized roots of Casuarina equisetifolia fix nitrogen. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.71.1.460-466.2005

Van Rooyen, M. W., Van Rooyen, N., & Stoffberg, G. H. (2013). Carbon sequestration potential of post-mining reforestation activities on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa. Forestry. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cps070