casuarina
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌkæʒəˈriːnə/
- Australian
- Many coastal areas are adorned with casuarina trees, known for their unique needle-like foliage.
- casuarina tree
Examples
-
I looked up and down the whole beach, even in the shadows under the ever fewer casuarina trees.
Fiction book (1995) -
Also common, but less conspicuous, are hundreds of Black Noddies that have adapted to nesting in the introduced ironwood or casuarina trees rather than their usual ground or shrub sites.
Academic text (1999) -
It was very early in the morning, and the old rumbling of the p78 palm clove rose from the vistas of casuarinas and fig trees, as if it had been there for years and had only now managed to burst from the foliage.
Fiction book (1994) -
The park was lined with casuarina trees, their slender trunks swaying gently in the breeze.
-
The casuarina provides shade and shelter for various birds that nest in its branches.
Synonyms
A tree from Australia with thin jointed branches and needle-like leaves
Compounds
- Specialized
A tropical tree with thin, needle-like leaves and hard reddish wood often planted near coasts
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word casuarina comes from the Malay word kasuari, the name of the big bird 'cassowary', because the tree's thin, jointed branches look like the bird's feathers. So a casuarina is a tree named for its 'feather-like' stems, which helps you remember its look and the strong, hard wood it can give.