Desert Oak

On this holiday through central Australia I have become fascinated by the Desert Oak Allocasuarina decaisneana, the only Casuarina that grows in the desert. It's a slow-growing tree of the dry and sandy areas and there is something quite beautiful about a stand of mature trees on a red sand dune. Spinifex plants often dominate the understory.

Mature Desert Oaks

The young trees are narrow in form with no branches. As they mature they start to branch out. It all takes a long time.

'Middle-aged' Desert Oaks

A stand of Desert Oaks - a mix of maturity

Follow this link if you want to read a delightful blog spot written by someone with more knowledge than me, Ian Fraser.