Casuarina equisetifolia L. equisetifolia is an evergreen with a soft wispy pine-like appearance and an open irregular crown. The tree can attain heights of up to 50 meters, with a diameter of up to 18 centimetres. It bears a resemblance to coniferous due to the production of cone-like and pine-needle-like . Native to native to Southern Asia, and Oceania Casuarina has been introduced widely for coastal landscaping and erosion control. Its introduced range includes Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, many other islands and elsewhere in the tropics. It is now one of the most common on frost-free beaches world-wide. Casuarina frequently colonises disturbed sites. This rapid-growing species will establish in habitats as varied as coastal sand dunes, high mountain slopes, the humid tropics and semiarid regions; it tends to be salt tolerant, wind resistant and adaptable to moderately poor solids. Casuarina produces heavy shade and a thick blanket of leaves and fruits beneath it, reducing habitat value. Its dense monoculture thickets Photo credit: Amy Ferriter (www.forestryimages.org) displace native dune and beach species. Once established, it alters light, temperature, soil chemistry and hydrology of the habitats Causarina in the Everglades National Park poses a serious threat to the nest it invades. sites of three endangered species, the ‘Endangered (EN)’ loggerhead turtle The potential for re-establishment of endangered endemic species (Caretta caretta ssp. caretta); the ‘Vulnerable (VU)’ American crocodile like the broadleaf subspecies Cordia sebestena L. var. caymanensis; (Crocodylus acutus) and the ‘Vulnerable (VU) gopher tortoise (Gopherus inkberry (Scaevola plumieri), the tea banker subspecies P. caymanensis polyphemus). caymanensis, cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) (endemic to all three Young seedlings can be removed by hand. For heavier infestations Cayman Islands) and P. caymanensis robusta (endemic to Grand Cayman) application of a systemic herbicide to bark, cut stumps or foliage is likely to is limited by aggressive exotic colonisers in coastal areas, particularly be most effective. USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have Casuarina, wild coffee (Colubrina asiatica), leucaena (Leucaena been searching in ’s outback and coastlines for insects that could leucocephala) and beach naupaka (Scaevola sericea). be key bio-controls for Casuarina.

This information was extracted from: IUCN/SSC

Specialist Group: Global Invasive Species Database (2010)

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