Australian Pine
(Beefwood)
Casuarina equisetifolia
Plant Family: Casuarinaceae
Leaves: Vestigial, very tiny and whorled, requiring a lens for observation, and held at regular nodes on twigs that resemble pine needles. The twigs are the photosynthetic structures of the tree.
Bark: Gray, with patches of coppery under-bark, rough, often peeling in long strips. The roots fix nitrogen in the soil.
Flowers: Very small, at the twig ends and along the twigs; any time of year.
Fruits: Small nuts, which aggregate on rounded brown cones.
Habitat: Coastal, and along canals; highly salt tolerant.
Growth Form: Medium-sized to large tree with a straight trunk, often in single species stands.
Similar Species: Australian Pine is non-native, and is the most common of the three Casuarina species in south Florida; all are very similar to one another, and all are invasive.
Comments: This weedy species with a dense root system was first brought to Florida for use as windbreaks along canal banks and developed shorelines; it is now common in coastal sandy soils and a variety of other habitats, where it crowds out and shades out native species.
