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Casuarinaceae FAMILY

Allocasuarina distyla

Allocasuarina distyla

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Allocasuarina distyla is native to the warm temperate regions of eastern Australia and is said to be able to tolerate moderate frosts. It is unlikely to do well when grown in areas with cool summers because the new growth is unlikely to ripen fully, making it more susceptible to winter cold. In cultivation, species in this genus usually grow best in a well-drained moisture-retentive soil in full sun[1]. In the wild they are often found in soils markedly deficient in nutrients[2]. This species is known to succeed in saline soils and to be very tolerant of drought[3]. Sandy soil is the least preferable as it increases susceptibility to insect attack[3]. Allocasuarina distyla makes an excellent ornamental, it is a lovely, yet hardy shrub that is very easy to propagate and care for[3]. The plant responds well to coppicing. In nature it can produce new shoots from basal epicormic buds, especially if conditions have been harsh and the upper foliage has died[3]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - does not require pre-treatment[4]. Sow late winter to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed[5]. Germination starts in about 7 days at 25°c[4]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. To propagate Allocasuarina species, collect mature unopened seed cones and place them in a paper bag for 3 - 4 days in hot dry weather, or longer in cool weather. Seeds drop into the bag and can be planted immediately or at any time of the year. Seedlings should be potted up with good soil at first, once established they can be planted into any soil type[3] Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[6, 1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Allocasuarina+distyla>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Flora of Australia — http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ ↩︎The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource.
  3. [3]Growing Native Plants — Australian National Botanic Gardens · http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/ ↩︎A series of articles giving details of cultivation and matters of general interest (including a few plant uses) on over 250 Australian plants.
  4. [4]Florabank Fact Sheets — http://www.florabank.org.au/lucid/key/Species%20Navigator/Media/Html/index.htm#D ↩︎An excellent on-line publication. At present their are 132 species in the list, giving lots of information on growing and using the plants, plus information on their climatic tolerances, distribution maps and photographs.
  5. [5]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  6. [6]Australian Native Plants. — Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. · Collins. (Australia) · 1988 · ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 ↩︎A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.
  7. [7]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  8. [8]Flora of New South Wales — http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/floraonline.htm ↩︎An on-line resource giving a brief botanical description of all the native plants of New South Wales, their habitat and range, together with diagrams and photographs of the plants.
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎