Common Name: Mountain Ru

General Information

Casuarina junghuhniana is a fast-growing, evergreen tree with a fairly open crown; it can grow up to 25 metres tall[].
The tree is grown commercially for its wood and also for its ability to provide shelter, protect and conserve the soil[]. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia.

Habitat

Grows on the slopes of volcanoes at altitudes of 1,500 - 3,100 metres, but also at lower altitudes in dry places[]. It is a pioneer species of deforested land such as rocky slopes and undisturbed areas[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of fairly moist tropical areas, usually found at higher elevations above 1,500 metres and as high as 3,100 metres, though it can succeed almost at sea level[]. Rainfall in its natural habitat is monsoonal, with a well-defined summer maximum and a reported annual range of 700 - 1,500 mm[]. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month ranges from 25 - 28°c, whilst the mean minimum temperature of the coldest month ranges from 19 - 22°c[].
Succeeds on a wide range of soils, from light volcanic and sandy soils to heavy clays[]. It is tolerant of a wide pH range, from 2.8 in acidic clays to 8.0 in limestone-derived soils[]. Established plants are drought-tolerant and can also survive prolonged periods of waterlogging[]. Plants growing in a plantation have shown tolerance of saline soil conditions[].
A fast growing species, seedlings can grow 3 metres per year for their first 2 - 3 years after planting out[].
Once trees reach a few metres in height they are fire resistant and resprout readily after being damaged by fire[].
Weeding is necessary only during the first few years, after which the trees shed large amounts of branchlets to form a thick and dense mat of litter that suppresses weeds[].
Trees respond well to coppicing and pollarding[]. They produce strong root suckers[].
Trees are poor self-pruners, manual pruning in plantations up to a height of 2 - 2.5 metres is often necessary to make the plantations more accessible for general maintenance[].
Plantation-grown trees can be harvested throughout the year. In Thailand, a harvesting cycle of 5 years is used for poles and fuel wood[]. A mean annual increment of 10 - 15 cubic metres per hectare is generally obtainable[].
The plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen by nodulation with actinomycete bacteria of the genus Frankia. The nodules are woody and perennial and can form large masses in the root system[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Mountain ru is a pioneer species of deforested land such as rocky slopes and undisturbed areas. It has been used in revegetation and rehabilitation programmes dating back to the beginning of the 1900s. It is especially good as a pioneer on landslide-prone soils[]. It is growing successfully in the low lying acid sulphate areas of Southeast Asia and North Australia[].
It is widely planted to improve soil fertility[]. The branches and foliage are burnt and the ash is spread on village gardens[]. Branchlets decompose slowly and provide good mulch[].
A suitable species for planting as a windbreak[]. Farmers plant the tree around fields as a live fence[].

Other Uses

The reddish-brown wood is very hard but prone to splitting[]. Average durability of untreated wood is 4.5 years in direct contact with the ground, this can be increased to 15 years by treatment with creosote preservative[]. It is a popular source of construction piles and for fish traps. Also used for pole production[].
The wood can be used to make hardboard in a mixture with Dipterocarpus species[].
The wood is suitable raw material for kraft pulp[].
The wood is highly suitable for firewood and charcoal production. The energy from the charcoal is 34 500 kJ/kg, which is among the highest among firewood species[]..

Propagation

Seed -

Mature seeds germinate readily without pre-treatment. Germination is good and uniform, completed after 10 days. The germination rate is 50-60%, decreasing rapidly unless kept in dry cool storage.

Propagation is by seed, shoot cuttings or air layering. Seed is sown onto germination beds. Seedlings are pricked out into polythene bags when 3-5 cm tall. For mass propagation, shoot cuttings are more suitable than air layering. Under favourable conditions seedlings attain 25-30 cm in height within 3 months.

Inoculation of the seedlings or cuttings with effective strains of Frankia bacteria is recommended when C. junghuhniana is introduced into a new area
Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; can keep viability for up to 1 year at room temperature. 1-1.8 million seeds/kg

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