Family: Casuarinaceae (Beefwood Family) Native range: Coastal Queensland and offshore islands, Malaysia, southern Asia, and Oceania.
Description: A single-trunked, large, somewhat conical, pine-like tree from 60 to 150 feet tall with gray-green, needlelike, jointed branches that resemble leaves. Flowers are inconspicuous. Small, 1/2 to 3/4 inch oval cones are green, turning brown at maturity. Each cone contains about 12 rows of dehiscent seeds.
Ecological threat: Highly invasive in a wide variety of native habitats and disturbed sites. especially in coastal areas where the extensive, shallow root system can disrupt nesting of sea turtles and American crocodiles. A single 4- to 5-year old tree produces thousands of windborne seeds that can quickly form extensive stands of trees. Once established, Australian pines dominate areas almost to the total exclusion of native vegetation by chemically suppressing seed germination and smothering seedlings and other plants with thick, dense litter. By crowding out native vegetation, Australian pine eliminates the normal habitat of a wide variety of birds, mammals and other native wildlife. Australian pines also release large quantities of pollen, causing serious respiratory problems in people.
Distribution in Florida: From north-central Florida southward through the Florida Keys.
Background: Australian pine was introduced into Florida in 1898. Often used as high windbreaks for agricultural groves and also as a street tree, although its wide-spreading root system disrupts pavement and lawns, and the trees grow too tall for safety. Australian pine also had some use as rootstock for the related Casuarina glauca, to create a single-trunked tree that does not produce seed. Due to its invasiveness and other undesirable characteristics, Australian pine has been banned from cultivation throughout Florida.
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