CASUARINAS 



The generic term Casuarina is supposed to be taken from Casuarius, the 

 genus to which the cassowary, a large bird from the East Indies, belongs. 

 The name was. given the trees in this genus because of the resemblance of their 

 branches to the feathers of the cassowary. The trees are commonly known as 

 beef woods or she-oaks. The redness of the wood accounts for the name beef- 

 woocl, and its hardness for its association with the oaks. 



The Casuarinas embrace about twenty-five species, which are found 

 naturally in Australia and the East Indies, where they grow under adverse 

 conditions of soil and moisture. This has led to their use in this country for 

 planting in certain localities, especially where alkali is present. It has been 

 found that they will resist alkali and drought better than most trees, which 

 is the main justification for their use. 



The principal species planted is the she-oak (Casuarina stricta). It has 

 a peculiar form suggestive of its drought-resisting qualities. It has no leaves, 

 . and the branches are jointed like those of the equisetums. This gives it a thin- 

 topped appearance, which on mature trees is suggestive of the habit of the 

 pines. It reaches a height of thirty-five to forty feet and under favorable 

 conditions makes a fairly rapid growth. It is planted on some streets in 

 southern California chiefly because of the oddity of its appearance, and the 

 little care that it requires. 



Casuarina equisetifolia has tiny, bur-like multiple fruits which cling to 

 the branches like little stars and shed quantities of tiny light brown winged 

 seeds. It has been successfully grown in plantations in the Berkeley hills. 



CATALINA IRONWOOD 



The Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus var asplenifolius) is 

 native only to Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santa Catalina and San Clemente 

 islands, off the coast of southern California, and was first brought to the 

 mainland at Santa Barbara in 1894. It flourishes there, as well as in the 

 botanic gardens at the University of California, where a tree fifteen years 

 old is forty-five feet high and ten inches in diameter. It is called ironwood 

 because of the extreme hardness of its wood. 



This rare species is worthy of trial as a street tree because of its erect 

 habit of growth, moderate spread and narrow crown. The leaves are divided 



(58) 



