359 



ROOT-SHOOTS IN CASUARINA GLAVCA. 



The are a considerable number of species of the genus Casuarina, 

 chiefly natives of Australia, of which many have been introduced 

 into the Botanic' Gardens, but except in the cases of the indigenous 

 Ru tree, Casuarina equisetifolia and C. sumatrana of the Malay islands 

 none have as yet adapted themselves to our flora, with the sole 

 exception of Casuarina glauc a Sieb, a native of Queensland which was 

 introduced here a few years ago and has grown vigorously, forming 

 a valuable addition to our ornamental and curiousltrees. This plant 

 has been planted out on the grass plots and as it roots high, the roots 

 have here and there got cut or wounded by the grass cutters. In 

 these cases the Casuarina has thrown up shoots from the v/ounded 

 root, from which it will be probably easy to propagate it. Ttle 

 emission of shoots from roots of trees is by no means uncommon in 

 in this country. The Spathodea is commonly so propagated in this 

 country and most, at least of the trees of this plant in Singapore, at 

 least have been so obtained, as it seldom fruits' here (I have indeed 

 only seen it fruiting in Kuala Lumpur). Albizzia Moluccana is 

 another plant which produces strong plants from the roots, and the 

 Tembusu, Fagraea fragrans, also produces shoots on w^ounded 

 roots, but these never seem to develop into trees. The most curious 

 instance which I have met with was in the case of a Garcitiia 

 {G. globulosa Ridl) which threw up from its root a stem about a foot 

 tall which bore not only leaves but flowers. 



I have, however, never seen a case of the production of shoots 

 from roots in any of the Casuarinas and our species here are at least 

 very difficult to reproduce from cuttings. It is usual to find that the 

 trees which throw up shoots from the roots are those with soft wood 

 and plenty of suppressed buds so that they are easily reproduced 

 from cuttings. The Casuarinas, however, have hard wood, are 

 difficult or almost impossible to reproduce from cuttings, and indeed 

 suffer badly and often die if pruned at all, so that it was not to be 

 expected that they would produce root-shoots, and I think this action 

 in Casuarina glauca to be worth recording. — Ed. 



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