Common Name: Belah

General Information

Casuarina cristata is an evergreen tree with an erect habit that can grow from 5 - 20 metres tall. The bole can be 50 - 100cm in diameter. The plant often suckers freely to form dense stands[, ].
The plant is gathered from the wild for its tannin and timber. It is an excellent species for planting in shelterbelts.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Australia - New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia.

Habitat

Drier areas[], usually on heavier soils and avoiding ridges[]. Usually found in clayey grey or brown soils with calcareous nodules near the surface[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	12.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Casuarina cristata is a plant mainly of the warm temperate and subtropical zones, though it does just reach into the tropics. It is found at elevations up to 800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 34°c, but can tolerate 8 - 40°c[]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -5°c or lower, but young growth can be badly damaged at 0°c[]. Up to 50 heavy frosts per year can occur within parts of its range[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 600mm, but tolerates 400 - 700mm[]. The mean annual rainfall can range from 300 - 1,178mm[].
Requires a well-drained moisture-retentive soil in full sun[]. Succeeds in a wide range of soils in the wild, including heavy soils, waterlogged soils and somewhat alkaline or saline soils[]. A report for Australian gardens says that it prefers growing in dry areas but can also thrive in very wet soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 8, tolerating 6 - 8.5[].
A relatively fast growing tree that responds well to coppicing[, ].
The plant produces suckers from the roots and often forms dense groves which can be all of one clone[, ].
Unlike most members of this genus, this plant does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[]. Another report says that it does have a symbiotic relationship with the nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Frankia, and does fix atmospheric nitrogen[].
This species is dioecious - both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

An extremely useful species for growing in shelterbelts[].

Other Uses

The bark is rich in tannin[].

The heartwood is reddish-brown, fissile and very dense; the sapwood is wide and creamy coloured[]. The wood is very hard, not very durable, takes a good polish. It is used mainly for turnery, furniture and fencing[, , ].
The wood makes an excellent fuel[, , , ].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed[]. The optimum germination
temperature is 25°c[]. Propagation is usually from seed, since seed production is so prolific and germination occurs easily[]. If selected pure cultures of Frankia rhizobia are not available, it is advisable to inoculate seedlings with a suspension of crushed nodules collected from the host tree, preferably at the original collection site. This will improve seedling establishment and ensure rapid growth during the initial stages.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[, ].
Division of suckers.

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