Thread: Cedar, Cypress or what?

Looks like one of the Sheoak (Casuarina) family.

or allocasuarina too

Could well be, another 20-30 species t look at

Looked at most of the Casuarinas/sheoaks/allocasuarinas etc I am aware of, but no luck. I did find a photo that matches the seed pod here eucalyptus: casually 4... Typical "... Casuarina species I know not"

The tree is in a park that was originally a private botanical garden, so could have come from any where, not just Melbourne where the tree is located

Hi Neil,
With Nuts & Foliage, my bet would be She Oak, but when you look at the Tree Photo, it is a different coloured Green.

Neil, the casaurinas hybridise readily, so it may be hard to find an exact match for those fruits, but it's a she-oak. No possible, probable, shadow of doubt. The fruits & "leaves" you've shown are enough to identify it as such. As a clincher, does the wood have prominent medullary rays? All of the she-oaks I've seen, except Belah (C. cristata), have prominent medullary rays, which is where the "oak" in their common names comes from. No member of the softwood group (pines, cedars, firs, cypresses etc. etc.) have visible rays....

Cheers,

:what they said:

But those pods you have are interesting. All the compartments are lined up like a corn cob rather than alternating like the "usual" casurina seed pods.

Originally Posted by IanW

Neil, the casaurinas hybridise readily, so it may be hard to find an exact match for those fruits, but it's a she-oak. No possible, probable, shadow of doubt. The fruits & "leaves" you've shown are enough to identify it as such. As a clincher, does the wood have prominent medullary rays? All of the she-oaks I've seen, except Belah (C. cristata), have prominent medullary rays, which is where the "oak" in their common names comes from. No member of the softwood group (pines, cedars, firs, cypresses etc. etc.) have visible rays....

Cheers,

I'm coming to the same conclusion ian. The trees are still standing and not coming down, so I will not know what the timber is like.

I have been in contact with the park's arboriculturist and sent him the photos. He assures me he will be able to identify it, just waiting for reply.

It is confirmed as Casuarina torulosa by the arboriculturist.

I thought I had already checked that species, but google'ing it again showed it up as a match Amazing, I know the species as a Rose Sheoak, one of my favourite timbers and I actually had one in my yeard. It was dead and full of white ants, so never saw the seed pods.

No matter, thanks to all that responded