A medium to large evergreen tree, native to Australia and the adjacent Pacific region. It is naturally a sea-shore pioneer, which is why it has been so widely planted to stabilize disturbed coastal dunes along the east coast of southern Africa. With their needle-like foliage and woody cone-like fruiting structures, members of the genus Casuarina superficially resemble conifers, such as pine trees. They are, however, not even remotely related to conifers and are, in fact, quite closely related to the true oaks. Several species are very distinctive in the Australian landscape. The name "Casuarina" is derived from the Malay word "Kasuari" and alludes to the similarity between the drooping foliage of the genus and that of the feathers of the cassowary bird. The foliage consists of jointed branchlets that have grooves running along their length in which the stomata are located. The ridges between the grooves terminate in smal1 triangular teeth, or leaf tips, and collectively these form a whorl of minute leaves at the node. The flowers are unisexual and the male and female inflorescences are quite different in appearance. The pollen is disseminated by wind. The female fruiting inflorescence (called an "infructescence") becomes woody and resembles a small cone. Casuarina wood is dense, hard and bums very hot. It is reputed to be the best fuel-wood in the world. The wood is extremely durable and has a rich red grain (hence the common name beefwood). It is used in cabinet making. The bark is used in tanning, medicinally and for the extraction of dyes.