- Mature height
- 5m to 10m
- Mature width
- 3m to 6m
Allocasuarina verticillata, the Drooping She Oak, is a broad rounded tree with long, fine branchlets that hang in a distinct weeping curtain. The canopy sighs in wind, which is part of the appeal. Female trees carry red flowers in winter and hold woody ribbed cones along the older wood.
It grows in full sun on almost anything, including shallow, rocky, sandy and alkaline soil, and handles drought, salt wind, exposure and light to moderate frost. Expect 40 to 70 centimetres of growth a year. It is native from Tasmania and Victoria north into Queensland, and fixes its own nitrogen at the roots.
Use it as a shade and habitat tree on rural blocks, in windbreak lines, in revegetation and mine site work, or spaced 3 to 4 metres apart as a feature. It is the main food tree for glossy black cockatoos, which makes it a common choice on council and biodiversity plantings.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Drooping She Oak
What is a Drooping She Oak?
It is an Australian native tree in the Casuarinaceae family, found from Tasmania through Victoria and South Australia to coastal New South Wales and Queensland. The weeping habit and very fine grey-green branchlets set it apart from other sheoaks. What looks like foliage is actually jointed stems, with the true leaves reduced to tiny scales.
How big does Drooping She Oak grow?
Mature height is 5 to 10 metres with a spread of 3 to 6 metres, so it becomes a broad, rounded, weeping tree. Trees on deep soil with reliable moisture reach the top of that range. On dry, shallow or coastal sites they often stay closer to 5 or 6 metres with a denser crown.
Is it evergreen or deciduous?
Evergreen. It keeps its fine drooping branchlets all year, so screening and windbreak value does not drop away in winter. The colour shifts slightly with the seasons, from grey-green to a bronze cast in cold weather, and older branchlets are shed gradually through the year rather than all at once.
Where does it grow best in Australia?
It grows across most of southern and eastern Australia, from Tasmania and Victoria through South Australia to coastal New South Wales and southern Queensland. It suits cool temperate, warm temperate, Mediterranean and semi-arid districts. The main limits are heavy waterlogged clay and wet tropical humidity, where it tends to be short lived.
Does it have invasive roots?
The root system is deep and fibrous rather than aggressive, and it is not known for lifting paving or invading drains. Even so, give it 3 to 4 metres of clearance from buildings, footpaths and services, as you would with any tree of this size. It suckers occasionally from roots on disturbed ground.
How fast does it grow?
Around 40 to 70 centimetres a year once established, which puts it in the moderate to fast bracket. Advanced trees planted in autumn or early spring get a full season of root growth before summer. Water deeply and less often through the first two years to draw the roots down, then leave it be.
How do I care for Drooping She Oak?
Little care is needed. Water through the first two summers, mulch out to the drip line and keep the mulch off the trunk. Do not feed with phosphorus rich fertilisers. Formative pruning to lift the canopy is best done young, as older trees resent heavy cuts and are better left to their natural shape.