|
''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian Subcontinent, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera (see Casuarinaceae).〔Flora of Australia: (''Casuarina'' )〕〔Australian Plant Names Index: (''Casuarina'' )〕 They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall. The foliage consists of slender, much-branched green to grey-green twigs bearing minute scale-leaves in whorls of 5–20. The flowers are produced in small catkin-like inflorescences; the flowers are simple spikes. Most species are dioecious, but a few are monoecious. The fruit is a woody, oval structure superficially resembling a conifer cone made up of numerous carpels each containing a single seed with a small wing.〔 The generic name is derived from the Malay word for the cassowary, ''kasuari'', alluding to the similarities between the bird's feathers and the plant's foliage, though the tree is called ''rhu'' in current standard Malay. ''Casuarina'' species are a food source of the larvae of hepialid moths; members of the genus ''Aenetus'', including ''A. lewinii'' and ''A. splendens'', burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. ''Endoclita malabaricus'' also feeds on ''Casuarina''. The noctuid turnip moth is also recorded feeding on ''Casuarina''. Pedunculagin, casuarictin, strictinin, casuarinin and casuariin are ellagitannins found in the species within the genus. == Selected species == *''Casuarina cristata'' Miq. (Northeastern Australia: Queensland, New South Wales). *''Casuarina cunninghamiana'' Miq. – River Sheoak (Northern and eastern Australia: Northern Territory to New South Wales) *''Casuarina equisetifolia'' L. – Australian Pine, Beach Sheoak, Common Ironwood (Northern Australia, southeastern Asia, doubtfully native to Madagascar), ঝাউ in বাংলা (Bengali) *''Casuarina glauca'' Sieber ex Spreng. Gray Sheoak, Longleaf Ironwood, Saltmarsh Ironwood, Swamp Oak (New South Wales) *''Casuarina grandis'' L.A.S.Johnson (New Guinea) *''Casuarina junghuhniana'' Miq. (Indonesia) *''Casuarina obesa'' Miq. (Southern Australia: southwestern Western Australia, New South Wales (site, now extinct ), Victoria) *''Casuarina oligodon'' L.A.S.Johnson (New Guinea) *''Casuarina pauper'' F.Muell. ex L.A.S.Johnson (interior Australia) Sources:〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Casuarina」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|