THE BEEFWOOD FAMILY 



CASUARINACEiE Lindley 



HIS family consists of but one known genus, of which there are prob- 

 ably 25 species of trees or shrubs, inhabitants of the tropics, being 

 especially abundant in the AustraHan region. They are of no special 

 economic value, except for their wood, and the bark, which is some- 

 times used for tanning. 



The Casuarinaceae have mere scales in lieu of leaves; these are very small, 

 appressed, or recurved w^hen old, in whorls at the nodes; sometimes they are united 

 into a sheath, the midrib decurrent on the twigs. The flowers are monoecious. 

 The staminate flowers, in cyhndric slender terminal spikes, are subtended by 

 imbricated bracts, often with a 2-parted perianth; stamen only i, the anther large 

 and opening lengthwise. The pistillate flowers are in dense, cone-like clusters, the 

 perianth wanting; ovar}^ i -celled; style forked, the 2 branches slender; ovules i or 

 2 in a cell. The fruit is a cone-Hke aggregation of accrescent scales, each subtend- 

 ing a soHtary seed with a membranous coat; the embryo is straight, with 2 fiat 

 cotyledons, endosperm none. 



One species has become naturahzed in the extreme southern portion of our 

 area. 



BEEFWOOD 



GENUS CASUARINA FORSTER 

 Species Casuarina equisetifolia Forster 



HIS pecuHar tropical tree has become naturahzed in southern penin- 

 sular Florida, and the Keys, and is widely distributed throughout the 

 West Indies and other tropical regions; it is indigenous in tropical Asia 

 and Australasia. Its maximum height, in Florida, is about 20 meters, 

 with a trunk diameter of i m. It is reported to attain a height of 45 meters in the 

 Polynesian region, and is variously known as Ironwood, Polynesian ironwood, She 

 oak, and Swamp oak. It is the type of the genus. 



The branches are long, slender, and wand-hke, the upper erect. The bark is 

 dark brown and slightly furrowed. The twigs are numerous, slender, drooping, 

 angular, and jointed, somewhat resembling the stem of a Horsetail (Equiseliim). 

 The leaves are appressed and scale-like, recurv^ed on the older branchlets, 6 to 8 

 in a whorl at each node and i to 3 mm. long. The flowers are ver}' small, the 



162 



