Thread: Figure in Casuarina / Allocasuarina (cont.)

More on the EXCEPTIONS... ie those species of Casuarina with no obvious figure or rays to the naked eye.

I've just found and cut 3 casuarina woods, none of which show obvious rays (to the naked eye)

1) Casuarina equisetifolia (from Qld originally) now an established pest in Florida where its called Australian Pine!

My sample of this wood came from Florida and a reliable source. Most will be familiar with this coastal tree growing along tropical beaches of Qld.
Wood sample of have is pale, tough with no obvious rays but splits badly like most casuarinas do.

2) Casuarina pauper (Black Oak) across drier area of southern Australia. Separated from C. cristata in 1989 I think.

Wood is exceedingly dense, cream-yellow, very hard and pretty with a small (mine had a 5-7 cm diameter) almost black heartwood, maybe emanating from cracks around the pith and fungal attack. Once dry is pretty stable it seems.

https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http:...e/apni/2897274

3) A found a piece of Casuarina cristata (Belah) heartwood.
It grows mostly in the dry parts of the Eastern states

Wood: Similar to the above, very dense and hard, with a dark brown, almost dark chocolate coloured heartwood. Again stable when dry.

https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http:...e/apni/2917047

I can post pics if anyone is interested.

Ok Thanks here are some pics ....

3 casuarina woods, NONE of which show obvious rays (to the naked eye)

1) Casuarina equisetifolia (BELOW) now an established pest in Florida where its called Australian Pine!

Cas equi 1.jpg Cas equi.jpg

Above: quarter-sawn surface left recently saw and old surface on right

2) Casuarina pauper (Black Oak) ... BELOW

Cas pauper hrt 2.jpg Cas pauper hrt.jpg



3) Casuarina cristata (Belah) heartwood. BELOW

Cas cristata hrt .jpg

Cas cristata hrt 2.jpg


and to add a cat amongst the pigeons...

DESERT OAK is not a casuarina (as a NT casuarina also is called). The common name is applied to an Acacia (A. corieacea) also called wirewood, river jam as well as desert oak, but its obvious its a Acacia from the aroma or freshly cut wood as I found when I cut this piece below

Ac coriacea.jpg Ac coriacea 2.jpg

Acacia corieacea heartwood above

The name DESERT OAK is also applied to a true casuarina, Allocasuarina decaisneana , a very graceful distinctive species one sees around Ularu

Euge

Euge, I suppose there's bound to be variation in a species with such a wide distribution, but your Belah sample is much darker & seems to be coarser-grained than the stuff I have. It may be an illusion due to the pic being more of a close-up than the pics below? The piece I have comes from just west of Moonee in Qld.

Here are the pics of my sample I posted in the other thread recently, for comparison:Belah 3.jpg Belah 2.jpg Belah 1.jpg

It took ages to dry, with very little shrinkage or distortion, but has developed a few small checks despite the slow drying. So far all I've made from it is a few wooden screws. It threaded ok, but was inclined to be a bit crumbly, which surprised me. I thought the finer grain would take a nicer thread than Forest oak, but the reverse seems to be true (though I shouldn't draw conclusions on one lot from one tree!).

Cheers,

Ian,

the C. cristata I have from Qld also has a paler / redder heart much as you have shown ... there might be variation within a species north / south much as many people say there is with Buloke / Allocasuarina leuhmannii, comparing Vic samples with those from central Qld.

Euge

Hi Euge, In the first 2 pictures of this thread it is hard to believe that it is actually timber (bulloak), looks more like 2 minute noodles just cooked.
Is that a flat surface you have pictured.

Originally Posted by artful bodger

Hi Euge, In the first 2 pictures of this thread it is hard to believe that it is actually timber (bulloak), looks more like 2 minute noodles just cooked.
Is that a flat surface you have pictured.

No its not flat and its not noodles .... The pictures show the exterior curved irregular surface of a largish S-shaped log about 20-25 cm in diam. What I would call a "sculptural log". Bark has been removed of course and this is the exterior whitish sapwood, with striking figure, below the bark ... very pretty and spectacular .. If this pattern extended into the heartwood it would make for a very interesting figure eh?

Euge