Cork Bark Australian Pine

Has anyone ever encountered a cork bark variety of Australian Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia)? While collecting recently my friend encountered a stand of seemingly cork bark Aussy Pines in coastal central Florida. These trees grew from seeds (not from root suckers) and have very fine foliage. Not all the trees in the stand had the cork bark, about 30% of them.

Please excuse the hasty cell phone photos but as you can see the bark is very corky.




I wonder if this is genetic, insect, fungus or germ induced??

Rob, judging by the consistency and progression of ageing bark, it looks to me to be genetic. Good find!
Wood

Rob,
Many years ago in Hawaii I saw corky bark cultivars. A low percentage of collected Casuarina apparently had some degree of corking.
Jerry

Hi Rob,
Are you or anyone in Florida able to cultivate this since it is considered an invasive species? Looks like it could be worth doing.
Geof

Rob,

Yes, I have seen this before. In Indonesia, they call this Cemara Anging. I have also seen it in Puerto Rico and I believe that Sam Lee from Hawaii posted an excellent example in one of his early posts concerning the Kauai Bonsai Kai exhibits.

Warm regards,

Jose Luis

Thanks for the info guys. We 'll see if they survive.

Goeff - one is not supposed to sell them but there are no prohibitions against collecting them. Actually doing the environment a favor. Their leaf fall really smothers native trees below them.

This is one I collected but does not have the corky bark.



And when collecting in Florida is pays to keep an eye out for ...


Nice Bald Cypress trees but we left them alone.

Can't possibly imagine why, from the photo ?!

Rob,

Nice cypress indeed. There's a floating set of premium boots too...why did you pass it up?

peterh wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allocasuarina_torulosa

Interesting lead. I am not aware of this variety being in Florida but then you never know. Thanks. Have to do some more digging.

Poink88 wrote:Rob,

Nice cypress indeed. There's a floating set of premium boots too...why did you pass it up?

I have a personal strategy of avoiding contact with alligators. They don't really understand that humans are supposed to be the top of the food chain.

Rob
Very nice find, I guess we should be glad they do not grow wild here. But I kinda wish they did I would to have one. Being invasive I would guess that you cannot sell collected trees.

Mitch