Flolape

Allocasuarina portuensis

Allocasuarina portuensis L.A.S.Johnson
Allocasuarina portuensis
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

Allocasuarina portuensis, known as Nielsen Park she-oak, is a slender, dioecious shrub in the Casuarinaceae family. It is native to a limited area of the Sydney region in New South Wales, where it grows with branchlets up to 270 mm long. The leaves are reduced to scale-like structures arranged in whorls of seven or eight. The species produces fruiting cones 12–15 mm long, containing winged seeds (samaras) measuring 4–5 mm in length.

Description

This species was first described by L.A.S. Johnson in 1989 and is restricted to New South Wales. Allocasuarina portuensis is characterized by its slender form and specialized morphology, including scale-like leaves and samaras for seed dispersal. It is an endemic shrub with a narrow geographic range, occurring primarily in the Sydney region. The plant's reproductive structures are typical of the genus, with distinct cones and wind-dispersed seeds.

Distribution

New South Wales

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