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Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 1:39 pm
by melbrackstone
Has anyone seen a Casuarina do this?
DSC_8838.JPG

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 2:44 pm
by Rory
Hi Mel,

Yes plenty of times.

Though by memory I’ve only seen it on my Casuarina glaucas and Casuarina cunninghamianas

Not sure if it’s genetic or external cause, but I just remove it when I see it.

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 3:20 pm
by melbrackstone
Ahh, righto, thanks Rory. I think this is a C. cunninghamiana.

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 8:03 pm
by juan73870
Wow that's really cool! :cool:
Spirals!

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 8:04 pm
by juan73870
I'd love to see a pic of the whole tree..... :shifty:

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 14th, 2020, 8:27 pm
by melbrackstone
All the foliage was cut back around 2 weeks ago, and now it's shooting everywhere.

I've had this tree for only 3 weeks, gifted to me by a lovely young lady at Robina.
DSC_8837.JPG

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 15th, 2020, 7:22 am
by juan73870
I like :tu:

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 15th, 2020, 10:35 am
by Raging Bull
Hi Mel, nice tree you scored there. Rory, you say "but I just remove it when I see it. "Why? :lost: Why not leave it to see what happens as it grows?

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 15th, 2020, 2:02 pm
by melbrackstone
Thanks juan and Frank. This is an example of fasciation, thanks to Jarryd for the info. I believe i can try to take a cutting and grow it and see what happens! :)

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 15th, 2020, 5:54 pm
by Rory
Raging Bull wrote: February 15th, 2020, 10:35 am Hi Mel, nice tree you scored there. Rory, you say "but I just remove it when I see it. "Why? :lost: Why not leave it to see what happens as it grows?
Deformities / sickly growth / minute twisting growth on Casuarina is not usually hardy. Often in severe heat or testing periods, this unusual growth can quickly die off.

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 16th, 2020, 8:36 am
by Elmer
I get this on my A.littoralis occasionally, as it extends and ramifies the growth returns to normal. Talking to my teacher yesterday and his theory is that during periods of peak growth pruning about 50% or more of the trees photosynthetic parts pushes the tree into hyperdrive in order to replace it.

Another type of fascination that occurs occasionally on my littoralis around the same time is this, as per the twisting growth as it extends and ramifies it returns to normal.
lit.jpg

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: February 16th, 2020, 11:02 am
by melbrackstone
Thanks for the extra info Elmer!

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: September 17th, 2020, 3:01 am
by Starfox
Just adding to the pool of knowledge here but I am seeing this type of spiral growth on an Allocasuarina torulosa.
It was repotted and cut back not long ago so this is all new growth. Interesting for sure.

Re: Loopy Casuarina

Posted: September 17th, 2020, 9:03 am
by Rory
I have quite a few excess Casuarinas lying around. And I thought of this post the other month.... I too have a torulosa with deformed twisting growth and very short internodes. And sure enough, come a period of less watering, combined with heat and wind, and its the first thing that died on it. The rest of the foliage is A ok.

Torulosa needles will naturally droop and its beautiful, but when it starts to dry out, it can droop significantly more, but this unusual growth never really droops, it just tends to go from deformed and twisting, to dead, in periods of stress.

The spiral twisting growth shown in Mels first pic, is the standard twisting growth that you can get very often.
However, the deformed and shorter growth with tiny internodes that Casuarina can often put out is the more sicklier deformity. That's the type of growth that does not survive well from stress.