The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacific Islands. At one time, all species were placed in the genus Casuarina. Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson separated out many of those species and renamed them into the new genera of Gymnostoma in 1980 and 1982,

In Australia, the most widely used common name for Casuarinaceae species is sheoak or she-oak (a comparison of the timber quality with English oak). Other common names in Australia include ironwood, bull-oak or buloke, beefwood, or cassowary tree.

The Shire of Buloke in Victoria, Australia, is named after the species Allocasuarina luehmannii.

Systematics

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest the following relationships:

References

  • Research team from IRD working on Frankia-Casuarinaceae mycorrhizal and nitrogen-fixing symbioses