Belah – Casuarina cristata

Forest Friday is looking at the Belah – Causuarina cristata.

“Knowledge is great, understanding is better”

This is a chance for us to explore the different trees we use in our permaculture designs. There is so much to understand about a tree before placing it in a system, and by giving a tree what it needs to thrive, the whole system can benefit from the many design and ecologic functions they provide. Savour Soil uses the Belah – Casuarina cristata in many designs, as a fodder tree, wind break and privacy screen, but there is so much more to this tree.

Habits:

• Found mainly in Inland Australia, warm temperate + subtropical climates.
• The Belah can be found anywhere up to 800m evelvation.
• Its habit is weeping.
• It responds well to coppicing as it is fast growing.
• Mainly found in stands, open areas, depressions or flats.
• It is easily propagated by seed and can be divided from its many suckers.
• June through to August is time to take cuttings.
• Seed needs to be inoculated with native soil containing Frankia fungi.

Needs, Tolerances + Susceptibilities:

• Belah – Casuarina cristata has evolved to survive hot/dry – developing branchlets instead of leaves.
• It is dioecious, needing both male and female trees, and is wind pollinated.
• It can be unaffected by frost.
• Is found in a wide range of soils, but prefers heavy clay, alkaline soils.
• Does not tolerate deep sandy soil.
• Tolerates rainfall between 400 +700mm p/a.
• Belah is prone to poisoning, by accumulating its own nitrogen and phophorous, it does not need feeding.
• Also prone to inland salinisation.

Charactoristics + Behaviours:

• Belah – Casuarina cristata is a weeping evergreen.
• Growing 10-20m tall with an erect trunk.
• Spring and Autumn it is in flower.
• Self mulching.
• It has branchlets instead of leaves for photosynthesis which help to retain water in dry hot conditions.
• A dense mat of roots fix minerals and atmospheric nitrogenin the soil.

Design Function:

• The foliage touches the ground creating a fantastic wind break + shelterbelt.
• Can be grown under large pines and used for coppicing.
• Animals can use it for shade.
• In times of drought it can be a fodder tree for animals.
• Provides eroision control and builds soil.

Products:

• Seed pods can be used for decoration.
• Grazing animals can use it as feed.
• Pole wood for fencing.
• Its timber has a wide dark grain for small carpentry and wood turning.
• It provides excellent fuel as it burns very hot.
• Clubs and boomerangs were made with it by Indigenous Australians.
• It’s bark is rich in tannin.

Ecological Function:

• The Belah works with Frankia fungi to accumulate minerals, such as phosphorous and fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
• This fungi is food for bandicoots who spread it via manure to improve soil health.
• Belah builds and nourishes native soil.
• Its dense mat of roots prevent erosion and nutrient loss.
• Supporting a wide range of flora and fauna, for example the Glossy Black Cockatoo who eat the seed pods.
• Belah forms 1.5% of Australian forest.
• It’s name is derived from the Malay word for Cassawary whose feathers resemble the drooping foliage

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