Casuarina obesa

Also known as Swamp She-oak, Western Swamp Oak, Goolee, Kweela

Swamp she-oaks dominate saline wetlands and riverbanks across southern Australia, where their pine-like grey-green branchlets whistle softly in coastal breezes. Specialized photosynthetic branchlets perform the work of leaves, which are reduced to microscopic scale teeth arranged in whorls along each segment. Through symbiotic root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen, these resilient trees thrive in harsh, highly saline soils where few other woody plants can survive.