Casuarina cristata, commonly known as belah or muurrgu, is a species of flowering plant in the family Casuarinaceae and is endemic to inland eastern Australia. It is a tree with fissured or scaly bark, sometimes drooping branchlets, the leaves reduced to scales in whorls of 8 to 12, the fruit 13–18 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long containing winged seeds (samaras) 6.0–10.5 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it poisonous?
We have no record of Belah being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Casuarina glauca
- Allocasuarina luehmannii
- Casuarina obesa
- Allocasuarina fraseriana
- Allocasuarina verticillata
- Casuarina collina
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Fagales
- Family
- Casuarinaceae
- Genus
- Casuarina
- Species
- Casuarina cristata
Found one? Take a photo and B.inomen will suggest what it is, free.
Check your photo