Allocasuarina verticillata
Common name(s): Drooping Sheoak
Indigenous name(s): Wayetuck (Woi wurrung)
Gneering (Gunditjmara)
Brakbrak (L.Hindmarsh)
Height, Width: Up to 10m high
Plant Type: Small Tree/Large Shrub
Flowering Period: March to December

A small tree to 10m height with dark grey bark. The crown of the tree has drooping branchlets, about 0.8cm thick, to 40cm long. Male flowers are yellowish-brown. Cones on female trees are 2-3cm wide and barrel shaped.

Derivation of Name:
Allocasuarina; from the neo-Latin word casuarius, meaning ‘cassowary,’ referring to the resemblance of the drooping branchlets to the feathers of the cassowary bird. Allos; from Greek, meaning ‘other,’ referring to the relationship with the genus Casuarina. Verticillata; from the Latin word verticillatus meaning ‘whorl,’ referring to the leaves arranged in whorls.

Uses:
The timber was used by Aboriginal people to make handles for stone axes, which were fixed using string and resin from other plants. Wood was also used to make boomerangs and other implements.
Young shoots and cones could be eaten. Toothache and other pains were relieved by a gargle made from the sapwood and bark.
Propagation and maintenance notes:
The plant is best grown in dry, well-drained soil types and full sun to full shade. It has some degree of salt and lime tolerance.

SEEDS: Enough for you to successfully grow between 50-100 plants. Your seeds are of the same stock we use to grow our native plants in the nursery. The success of germination varies with open-pollinated, wild-collected seeds and after 3 years of consistently growing these species in the local area, I have selected the amount of seed you need to successfully grow between 50-100 plants yourself. These seeds are collected seasonally and with sincere cultural and ecological respect. Ordering a quantity according to this scale rather than ordering individual seeds is a better representation of sustainable seed harvesting and success for the grower.

Packet of 100-200 seeds.

Larger quantities are available.

PROPAGATION NOTES:

For great results refrigerate your seeds for 1-2 weeks before sowing. This emulates an over-wintering effect that helps with germination rates.

Sow seeds in a native-specific potting mix.

A good general rule to follow is to sow seeds at a depth relative to the size of the seed.

(Eucalyptus seeds require a light dusting of soil as their seeds are usually tiny. Warrigal Greens require a 50mm to 100mm depth.)

Keep moist, water daily until germination in 2-8 weeks at a minimum of 15° Celsius.

Reduce your watering amount once germination has occurred.

Sow at any time of the year.