# Black sheoak

*Allocasuarina littoralis*

The 'needles' are actually photosynthetic branchlets called cladodes; the true leaves are reduced to tiny, microscopic teeth-like scales encircling the joints.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fagales › Casuarinaceae › Allocasuarina
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Dry sclerophyll forests, coastal woodlands, and sandy or sandstone-based soils.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
- **Range:** Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania
- **Size:** 8 to 15 meters in height
- **Lifespan:** 30 to 50 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Land clearing for urban development, inappropriate fire regimes, and invasive weed competition.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Safe to approach, touch, and rest beneath. Be mindful of falling woody cones underfoot, and note that wind-blown pollen may trigger mild seasonal allergies in sensitive individuals.

## About

Allocasuarina littoralis , commonly known as black sheoak , black she-oak , or river black-oak , is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree (usually up to 8 metres, but sometimes to 15 metres - coarse shrub in exposed maritime areas). A. littoralis is named for its growth near the coast; this is somewhat misleading, as it will grow well both inland and in coastal zones.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b54ce828-bc6a-412d-b8b4-25760fa32395
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/323786
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allocasuarina littoralis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/96546720/medium.jpeg (Max Campbell, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.