Cones often pubescent at least when young, sessile or pedunculate; bracteoles considerably thickened and [often] divided so that the dorsal portion forms one or more distinct protuberances. Body of mature samara brown to black, shining, glabrous [or hairy].
Usually grows on soils markedly deficient in nutrients.
See notes under family description about the differences between fresh and dried material, especially when using the key.
| | Key to the species | |
| KEY TO MALE SPECIMENS | |
| 1 | Article ridges with a minutely roughened surface; male bracteoles not persistent. | 2 |
| Ridges smooth; male bracteoles persistent except in A. gymnanthera. | 4 |
| 2 | Articles coarse, (8 mm long, (0.7 mm diam.; furrows pubescent; teeth 9–13; anthers (1.0 mm long; bark furrowed. | 3 |
| Articles slender, <8 mm long, <0.7 mm diam.; furrows glabrous; teeth 7–9; anthers 0.5–0.8 mm long; bark very ribbony-fibrous. Male spikes 2–4 cm long; 7–14 whorls per cm.
Back to 1 | Allocasuarina inophloia |
| 3 | Teeth erect; ridges flat or slightly rounded-convex; male bracteoles shed individually; branchlets ascending. Male spikes 1.5–4.5 cm long; 5–8 whorls per cm; anthers 1.0–1.3 mm long. | Allocasuarina luehmannii |
| Teeth spreading; ridges rounded-convex (often only slightly so); male bracteoles often falling as a unit with the 1 or 2 male tepals; branchlets drooping. Male spikes 3–12 cm long, 2.5–4 whorls per cm; anthers 1.2–2.5 mm long.
Back to 2 | Allocasuarina verticillata |
| 4 | Ridges with median groove along whole length. | 5 |
| Ridges without median groove or groove present only near base of article (in A. brachystachya).
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Anthers 0.7–1.1 mm long; teeth (0.5 mm long, 6–8; articles (5 mm long, (0.7 mm diam.; dioecious or monoecious. Male spikes not moniliform, 1–2.5 cm long; 7–9 whorls per cm. | Allocasuarina paludosa |
| Anthers 0.3–0.6 mm long; teeth (0.5 mm long, 5–7; articles (5 mm long, (0.7 mm diam.; monoecious usually. Male spikes occasionally moniliform, 0.5–1.7 cm long; 9–16 whorls per cm.
Back to 4 | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| 6 | Furrows pubescent (pubescent and glabrous furrows sometimes mixed in A. simulans). | 7 |
| Furrows glabrous.
Back to 4 | 13 |
| 7 | Male bracteoles not persistent; male spikes moniliform, 2.5–6 cm long; 3–5 whorls per cm. | Allocasuarina gymnanthera |
| Male bracteoles persistent; male spikes not or occasionally moniliform, other details vary.
Back to 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Tree 5–20 m high; bark corky or furrowed. | 9 |
| Shrub 0.5–3 m high; bark smooth or slightly fissured.
Back to 6 | 10 |
| 9 | Teeth 4 or 5. Male spikes 0.5–3 cm long; 7–12 whorls per cm; anthers 0.5–0.6 mm long. | Allocasuarina torulosa |
| Teeth 6–8. Male spikes 0.5–5 cm long; 6–12.5 whorls per cm; anthers 0.4–0.8 mm long.
Back to 8 | Allocasuarina littoralis |
| 10 | Ridges flat or slightly rounded-convex; anthers <0.7 mm long; male spikes 0.7–1.7 cm long; >8 male whorls per cm, dioecious or monoecious. | 11 |
| Ridges angular to strongly rounded-convex; anthers 0.8–1.3 mm long; male spikes 1.5–9 cm long; <7 male whorls per cm; dioecious.
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 11 | Dioecious usually; articles 5–6 mm long, often with a waxy bloom; ridges without median groove. Male spikes 5–10 cm long; 16–20 whorls per cm. | Allocasuarina nana |
| Monoecious usually; articles 2–5 mm long, not waxy; ridges often with median groove near base of article. Male spikes occasionally moniliform.
Back to 10 | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| 12 | Articles pale yellow-green; ridges rounded-convex to angular; usually parts more slender than in A. distyla. Male spikes 1.5–4 cm long; c. 4 whorls per cm. | Allocasuarina simulans |
| Articles darker blue-green; ridges angular to rounded- convex. Male spikes occasionally moniliform, 1.5–5 (rarely to 9) cm long; 4.5–6.5 whorls per cm.
Back to 10 | Allocasuarina distyla |
| 13 | Ridges and teeth flat to slightly rounded-convex at least near their apex (may be more convex towards base); articles of same diam. throughout their length; male spikes moniliform usually (but see A. brachystachya). | 14 |
| Ridges angular to strongly rounded-convex, with rib or convexity continued onto teeth; articles mostly of greater diam. near their apex; male spikes moniliform or not.
Back to 12 | 18 |
| 14 | Teeth overlapping. | 15 |
| Teeth not overlapping.
Back to 8 | 17 |
| 15 | Male bracteoles shed; male spikes >2.5 cm long; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm long. | Allocasuarina gymnanthera |
| Male bracteoles persistent; male spikes <2.5 cm long; anthers 0.7–0.9 mm long.
Back to 14 | 16 |
| 16 | Articles blue-green, 6–8 mm long; spikes 0.4–1 cm long. | Allocasuarina defungens |
| Articles yellow-green, 5–11 mm long; spikes 0.2–2.5 cm long.
Back to 15 | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| 17 | Anthers 0.3–0.6 mm long; 9–16 male whorls per cm; articles ≤ 5 mm long. Male spikes occasionally moniliform. | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| Anthers 0.7–0.8 mm long; c. 5 male whorls per cm; articles ≥ 5 mm long.
Back to 16 | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| 18 | Teeth withering, recurved to spreading, very broad- triangular; articles 10–25 mm long. Male spikes 1–10 cm long; 3.5–6.5 whorls per cm; anthers 0.7–1.2 mm long. | 19 |
| Teeth not withering, erect to slightly spreading (if spreading then narrow-triangular); articles 5–12 mm long.
Back to 16 | 20 |
| 19 | Articles 0.7–1.5 mm diam., ridges angular to rounded-convex; male spikes rarely moniliform; widespread northern species. | Allocasuarina rigida |
| Articles 0.8–1.0 mm diam., ridges rounded-convex to somewhat angular; male spikes moniliform; rare species confined to Sydney Harbour N.P.
Back to 14 | Allocasuarina portuensis |
| 20 | Teeth overlapping. | 21 |
| Teeth not overlapping.
Back to 19 | 22 |
| 21 | Teeth very broad-triangular, very convex-sided; articles not waxy. Male spikes 1–2.5 cm long; 7.5–8 whorls per cm; anthers 0.7–0.8 mm long. | Allocasuarina rupicola |
| Teeth broad- to narrow-triangular, ± straight-sided; articles often with a waxy bloom. Male spikes 0.5–5 cm long; 5–10 whorls per cm.
Back to 19 | Allocasuarina diminuta |
| 22 | Articles of same diam. throughout their length, not waxy; male spikes moniliform. | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| Articles of slightly greater diam. at apex than towards base, often with a waxy bloom; male spikes usually not moniliform.
Back to 21 | 23 |
| 23 | Anthers 0.8–1.2 mm long; teeth narrow-triangular. Male spikes 1–2.5 cm long; c. 6 whorls per cm. | Allocasuarina ophiolitica |
| Anthers 0.5–0.8 mm long; teeth broad- to narrow-triangular. Male spikes 0.5–5 cm long; 5–10 whorls per cm.
Back to 21 | Allocasuarina diminuta |
| KEY TO FEMALE SPECIMENS | |
| 1 | Article ridges with a minutely roughened surface; dioecious.. | 2 |
| Ridges smooth or rarely minutely pubescent; dioecious or monoecious. | 4 |
| 2 | Articles coarse, 8–40 mm long, 0.7–2.0 mm diam.; furrows pubescent; teeth 9–14, usually withering, 0.5–1.2 mm long; branchlets to 40 cm long; cone bracteoles with 1 protuberance; bark fissured. | 3 |
| Articles slender, 4–7 mm long, 0.5–0.6 mm diam.; furrows glabrous; teeth 7–9, not withering, 0.3–0.5 mm long; branchlets to 21 cm long; cone bracteoles usually with 2 or 3 protuberances; bark very ribbony-fibrous.
Back to 1 | Allocasuarina inophloia |
| 3 | Teeth erect, slightly overlapping; ridges flat or slightly rounded-convex; branchlets ascending; cone diam. (8–14 mm) greater than length (5–12 mm); samara 4.5–5.0 mm long, red-brown. | Allocasuarina luehmannii |
| Teeth spreading, not overlapping; ridges rounded-convex (often only slightly so); branchlets drooping; cone length (20–50 mm) greater than diam. (17–30 mm); samara 7.0–12.0 mm long, very dark brown.
Back to 2 | Allocasuarina verticillata |
| 4 | Cones warty or tessellated, with cone bracteoles divided into 3–12 small pyramidal bodies. | 5 |
| Cone bracteoles with a single pyramidal dorsal protuberance (usually shorter than the bracteole body).
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Cones recurved to spreading, on slender peduncle 8–30 mm long; slender tree 5–20 m high with drooping branchlets and corky bark; samara 7.0–10.0 mm long, mid- to dark brown. | Allocasuarina torulosa |
| Cones erect, peduncle 0–3 mm long; low spreading shrub 0.5–2 m high with stiff ascending or spreading branchlets and smooth or finely fissured bark; samara 4.0–6.0 mm long, very dark red-brown to black.
Back to 4 | Allocasuarina nana |
| 6 | Ridges with median groove along whole length. | 7 |
| Ridges without median groove or with groove present near base of article (in A. brachystachya).
Back to 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Teeth 0.5–0.9 mm long, 6–8; articles 5–14 mm long, 0.7–1.0 mm diam.; cone body 7–13 mm diam.; dioecious or monoecious. | Allocasuarina paludosa |
| Teeth 0.2–0.5 mm long, 5–7; articles 2–5 mm long, 0.4–0.7 mm diam.; cone body 5–8 mm diam.; monoecious usually.
Back to 6 | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| 8 | Furrows pubescent (pubescent and glabrous sometimes mixed on same individual in A. simulans). | 9 |
| Furrows glabrous; branchlets ascending.
Back to 6 | 14 |
| 9 | Shrubs or rarely small trees, 0.5–5 m high; bark smooth or somewhat fissured towards base of big individuals; branchlets ascending. | 10 |
| Tree 5–15 m high; bark fissured; branchlets ascending or drooping.
Back to 8 | Allocasuarina littoralis |
| 10 | Ridges and teeth flat to slightly rounded-convex at least near apex of article (may be more convex towards base). | 11 |
| Ridges angular to strongly rounded-convex, with ridge or convexity continued onto basal half of teeth
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 11 | Cone body 7–14 mm long, 5–8 mm diam.; teeth not overlapping; monoecious usually; samara 2.5–4.0 mm long, dark brown to black. | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| Cone body 14–40 mm long, 9–12 mm diam.; teeth usually overlapping at least when young; dioecious; samara 4.5–7.0 mm long, very dark brown to black.
Back to 10 | Allocasuarina gymnanthera |
| 12 | Branchlet articles 3–10 mm long, 0.5–0.9 mm diameter (at mid-length); teeth thin-textured, not overlapping, 0.3–0.7 mm long; cone body 12–25 mm long | Allocasuarina thalassoscopica |
| Branchlet articles (10-)15–22 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm diameter (at mid-length); teeth thick-textured,slightly overlapping at base at least when young, 0.5–1.2 mm long; cone body (15-)30–50 mm long
Back to 10 | 13 |
| 13 | Cones slender, 9–12 mm diam., on slender peduncle c. 2 mm diam.; articles pale yellow-green | Allocasuarina simulans |
| Cones large, 11–22 mm diam., on stout peduncle 2–4 mm diam.; articles darker blue-green
Back to 12 | Allocasuarina distyla |
| 14 | Ridges flat to slightly rounded-convex at least near apex of article (may be more convex towards base) | 15 |
| Ridges angular to strongly rounded-convex, with rib or convexity continued onto teeth
Back to 8 | 19 |
| 15 | Cone body 14–40 mm long, 9–12 mm in diameter | Allocasuarina gymnanthera |
| Cone body 7–14 mm long, 5–8 mm in diameter
Back to 14 | 16 |
| 16 | Teeth overlapping | 17 |
| Teeth not overlapping
Back to 15 | 18 |
| 17 | Mature samaras dark brown; cone body 5–7 mm in diameter | Allocasuarina defungens |
| Mature samaras mid-brown; cone body 7–8 mm in diameter
Back to 16 | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| 18 | Articles 2–5 mm long; mature samaras dark brown to black | Allocasuarina brachystachya |
| Articles 5–11 mm long; mature samaras mid-brown
Back to 16 | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| 19 | Teeth withering, recurved to spreading, very broad-triangular | 20 |
| Teeth not withering, erect to slightly spreading, or if spreading then narrow-triangular
Back to 14 | 21 |
| 20 | Articles 0.7–1.0 mm diam., ridges angular to rounded-convex; widespread northern species | Allocasuarina rigida |
| Articles 0.8–1.0 mm diam., ridges rounded-convex to somewhat angular; rare species, confined to Sydney Harbour N.P
Back to 19 | Allocasuarina portuensis |
| 21 | Teeth overlapping | 22 |
| Teeth not overlapping
Back to 19 | 23 |
| 22 | Teeth very broad-triangular, very convex-sided; articles not waxy | Allocasuarina rupicola |
| Teeth broad- to narrow-triangular, more or less straight-sided; articles often with a waxy bloom
Back to 21 | Allocasuarina diminuta |
| 23 | Articles of same diameter throughout length, not waxy | Allocasuarina glareicola |
| Articles of slightly greater diameter near their apex, often with a waxy bloom
Back to 21 | 24 |
| 24 | Teeth narrow-triangular; mature samaras mid-brown; cones on peduncles 6–15 mm long; teeth 7–9, 0.5–1.3 mm long | Allocasuarina ophiolitica |
| Teeth broad- to narrow-triangular; mature samaras dark brown; cones on peduncles 2–10 mm long; teeth 6–10, 0.3–0.8 mm long
Back to 23 | Allocasuarina diminuta |
