Beach sheoak (Casuarina equisetifolia)

Cemara laut or beach sheoak (Casuarina equisetifolia) is a species of plant in the Casuarinaceae, an evergreen tree with a height of 6-35 meters, the leaves consist of slender twigs, many green to gray-green branches with a diameter of 0.5-1 mm, scaly leaves. small in 6-8 circles.

C. equisetifolia has small catkin-like inflorescences, male flowers with simple spikes and 0.7-4 cm long, female flowers with short stalks.

The fruit is an oval woody structure 10-24 mm long, 9-13 mm in diameter, resembling a conifer cone consisting of many carpels and each containing one small seed with a wing length of 6-8 mm.

The ripe fruit is brown and opens to disperse the seeds in the water. The seeds can only grow in hot sand near the beach. The seeds sprouted and formed a thicket.

Beach sheoak is used as a bonsai object and an ornamental plant in urban areas. The wood is used for shingles, fencing, firewood, erosion prevention and windbreak elements.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fagales
Family: Casuarinaceae
Genus: Casuarina
Species: Casuarina equisetifolia
Subspecies: Casuarina equisetifolia ssp. equisetifolia, Casuarina equisetifolia ssp. incana

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