Allocasuarina defungens, commonly known as dwarf heath casuarina,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a straggly, dioeciousormonoecious shrub that has branchlets up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of five to seven, the fruiting cones 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.
Allocasuarina defungens is a straggly, more or less erect, dioecious or monoecious shrub that forms a lignotuber, and typically grows to a height of 0.5–2 m (1 ft 8 in – 6 ft 7 in). Its branchlets are more or less erect, up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long, the leaves reduced to erect, scale-like teeth 0.2–0.5 mm (0.0079–0.0197 in) long, arranged in whorls of five to seven around the branchlets. The sections of branchlet between the leaf whorls (the "articles") are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and 0.5–0.6 mm (0.020–0.024 in) wide. Male flowers are arranged in head-like spikes 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long, the anthers 0.7–0.9 mm (0.028–0.035 in) long. Female cones are cylindrical, on a peduncle 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long. Mature cones are 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) in diameter, the samaras about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.[3][4][5]
Allocasuarina defungens was first formally described in 1989 by Lawrie Johnson in the Flora of Australia from specimens collected by Bob Coveny near Nabiac airstrip in 1967.[6][7] The specific epithet, (defungens) means "to finish" or "to die", referring the species' lack of vigour and "probable impending extinction".[3]
^ abc"Allocasuarina defungens". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
^ abWilson, Karen L.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. "Allocasuarina defungens". Royal Botanoc Garden Sydney. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
^Wilson, Karen L.; Johnson, Lawrence A.S. (1989). George, Alex S. (ed.). Flora of Australia(PDF). Vol. 3. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. p. 194. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
