Allocasuarina glareicola explained

Allocasuarina glareicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to a restricted part of New South Wales. It is an erect, dioecious or monoecious shrub that has branchlets up to long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of five to seven, the fruiting cones long containing winged seeds (samaras) long.

Description

Allocasuarina glareicola is an erect, often poorly developed, dioecious or monoecious shrub that typically grows to a height of . Its branchlets are more or less erect, up to long, the leaves reduced to erect, scale-like teeth long, arranged in whorls of five to seven around the branchlets. The sections of branchlet between the leaf whorls (the "articles") are long and wide. Male flowers are arranged like a string of beads, in spikes long, with about 5 whorls per centimetre (per 0.39 in.), the anthers long. Female cones are cylindrical, on a peduncle long, the mature cones long and in diameter, the samaras brown and long.[1] [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Allocasuarina glareicola was first described in 1989 by Lawrie Johnson in Flora of Australia.[4] The specific epithet, (glareicola) means "gravel-dweller".

Distribution and habitat

This she-oak grows in open forest on lateritic soil, and is restricted to a range of about in and around the Castlereagh Nature Reserve.[5] [6]

Ecology

This species resprouts from a lignotuber after fire and spreads by root suckers, so that many stems may be of a single individual plant.

Conservation status

Allocasuarina glareicola is listed as "Endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species include rubbish dumping, inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion and habitat loss.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wilson . Karen L. . Johnson . Lawrence A.S. . Allocasuarina glareicola . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 31 May 2023.
  2. Web site: Allocasuarina glareicola . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra . 31 May 2023.
  3. Book: Wilson . Karen L. . Johnson . Lawrence A.S. . George. Alex S.. Flora of Australia . 3 . 1989 . Australian Government Publishing Service . Canberra . 195 . 31 May 2023.
  4. Web site: Allocasuarina glareicola. APNI. 31 May 2023.
  5. Web site: Allocasuarina glareicola. Species Profile and Threats Database. 29 January 2017. Australioan Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
  6. Web site: Allocasuarina glareicola - profile . New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage . 31 May 2023.