Casuarina Equisetifolia, Australian pine tree - 0.5 kg Seeds

Casuarina equisetifolia, the Australian Pine, Beefwood or Whistling Pine (Suru/Jangli saru in India), is a fast-growing evergreen tree with slender, drooping, needle-like branchlets that whisper in the wind. Though it resembles a conifer it is a flowering tree that fixes nitrogen through a symbiosis with Frankia, letting it colonise poor, sandy and saline soils.

It is the foremost species for coastal afforestation, sand-dune stabilisation and shelterbelts, and is grown extensively for fuelwood, charcoal, pulpwood and scaffolding poles. Its hard, heavy wood and rapid growth make it a mainstay of agroforestry and farm-forestry across the Indian coasts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and the west coast, as well as inland plantations.

• Family: Casuarinaceae
• Native region: Coastal Australia and Southeast Asia
• Mature height: 20-35 m
• Growth rate: Very fast

The tiny winged seeds need no pre-treatment. Surface-sow them thinly on a moist, sandy seedbed or tray and press in lightly without burying, keeping them shaded and damp; germination follows in about 7-14 days. Prick the delicate seedlings into polybags early and harden them before field planting at 30-45 cm, ideally with the monsoon rains.