Well adapted Desert Oak trees thrive in arid conditions of Northern Territory, Australia

These deep rooted trees survive in tough Australian arid conditions. Allocasuarina decaisneana or desert oak is a medium-sized, slow-growing tree found in the dry desert regions of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. The dioecious tree typically grows to a height of 10 to 16 metres and as high as 20 m and a width of 3 to 8 m. Young trees have a narrow trunk and form and grey/green feathery foliage. They mature to an adult form with spreading limbs and bushy foliage. It is the only member of its family in Central Australia and its large cylindrical cones are the biggest in its family. Often found in swales between sand dunes they grow well in deep red sand. The species is distributed through the deserts of the eastern part of central Western Australia, in the southern portion of the Northern Territory, and in northern South Australia. It is often the only tree species to be found in these area where the dominant form of vegetation is spinifex. The tree was particularly useful to Indigenous Australian peoples who used the trees as a source of water. Water can be collected from tree hollows but surface roots could also be broken off in sections to provide potable water by draining the root when held vertically or by directly sucking the water out. The Aborigines also used the hard wood of the trees for making boomerangs, shields and clubs. A boomerang that is 10,000 years old made from Allocasuarina wood was found in Wylie Swamp in South Australia. 15532

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