Melaleuca and Australian Pines

[bubba]

South Florida has it's well documented problems with Melaleuca. I have read on this Board that it is not a bad specimen in California(Dave).I personally like Austalian Pines ,which are used extensively in South Florida for windbreaks and hedges. How do these do in South Texas and are there any issues there similar to South Florida with over propagation?

[fastfeat]

The main difference between both Melaleuca quinquenervia and Casuarina equisetifolia in FL and SoCal is the presence of moist to wet conditions during warm weather that favor seed germination.

In the 30+ years I lived in SoCal, I never saw Melaleuca q. volunteer anywhere. Planted specimens grow very well where they don't get too cold, and they don't make pests of themselves.

Casuarina equisetifolia is not common in CA, though others, esp. C. cunninghamiana, are. C. cunninghamiana, native to drier areas, occasionally volunteers in CA, but not to the extent C. equisetifolia does in FL.

I would hesitate to recommend planting either tree in mild areas with summer rains and little or no frost. You are probably OK if you have dry summers and occasional frost, though 25F is about the cutoff for cold.

Other species of Melaleuca, such as M. decora and M. styphelioides take more cold and are less invasive, though their appearance is much different.

Melaleuca styphelioides, growing in SoCal:

[tipper55]

There are actually 2 Australian pines in Florida, C. equisetifolia and C. glauca. C. glauca doesn't seed it spreads by suckers. Both of these are U.S. prohibited plants, so you aren't going to find them for sale and I think technically, someone can't even give you one. They are no longer used as wind breaks in Florida.

They are pretty trees, they provide a lot of shade and coolness and the birds and animals love them, I wouldn't wish them on my own worst enemy though. They make a mat of roots that can be over 6 inches deep that almost NOTHING can grow in or penetrate. Mine send out suckers 20 to 30 feet away from the tree and I constantly am using Round Up on them.

It is ridiculously expensive to remove them, but I have slowly gotten rid of about half of mine(usually through the aid of a hurricane). Unfortunately I have a neighbor who isn't going to spend a nickel on anything, so I will have pines for a long time regardless.

Frances:

Katrina:

Wilma:

In this picture there are actually about 4 snapped off.

[fastfeat]

Karen--

Thanks for your info and pics of Casuarina.  I didn't mention C. glauca because it, fortunately, is less frequent and produces no seed (and UGLY!, IMHO...). I would certainly never plant it because of the suckering mess it creates, whereas C. equisetifolia has its place (though FL is not one of them!). Your points about wildlife use are well-taken; unfortunately so many native pine (mostly) stands have been removed that Casuarina is the only cover left for them. Additionally, Casuarina spp. fix nitrogen much like many legumes; this is part of the reason these trees attain such stature on poor, shallow soils.

Casuarina spp. are indeed on the Florida noxious weed list (May 2006); however, they are not federally controlled yet (at least per USDA Federal Noxious Weed List of May 2006). While I'm not encouraging planting of C. equisetifolia, Texas currently does not restrict this tree. Seeds can still legally be distributed from FL to elsewhere in the US. The tree possibly has legitimate landscape value in SoCal, where it is unlikely to pose a significant escape risk for reasons I previously noted.

Curiously, near the Homestead Speedway, a retention pond on Dade County property was recently (within 7 years) landscaped with C. equisetifolia. I don't know the circumstances around this, but I was quite surprised, to say the least!

[bubba]

Thankyou for the updates on both the Melaleuca and Australian Pines as it relates to Florida.I know one family that owes alot to Australian Pines in the Glades. Specifically, he was a nine year old living in the Belle Glade area at the time of the 1928 Hurricane.His family(he was one of ten children) was in their house when the flood waters hit and knocked the house down during the heighth of the storm.All of the occupants literally spilled out into the water and the unbelievable winds. The nine year old boy was found twenty feet up in a standing Australian Pine, where he was rescued. Apparently he grabbed a limb of the tree as his house collapsed and hung on literally for dear life. Sadly, neither his parents nor any of his other nine sibling's were ever found.He went on to become a pioneer in the winter vegetable buisness. My grandfather told me this story, which is true but it has always caused me to view Australian Pines differently than the state of Florida's negative view. I should also point out that the state did grant a reprieve to the town of Gulfstream from application of this ban for the beautiful A1A Drive with the canopy of Australian Pines along the ocean. What about South Texas and these tree's?

[fastfeat]

Bubba--

Thanks for the interesting story!

Of course, "noxious" plants get maligned, but in reality, the damage resulting from most introduced plants is due to man's short-sightedness.

What area of S. Texas are you in? Any climate info you can provide?

[bubba]

Fastfeat, If you are in Loxahatchee, Iam approximately 15 miles to your East as the crow flies. I am knowledgeable about Maleleuca and Australian Pines in South Florida but interested in their culture in other places, including specifically South Texas.

[JimR]

There are certainly some C. equisifolia in the Coastal Bend, and you will find them occassionally in nurseries thereabouts.  I have never heard them complained of locally like they are in Florida.

[fastfeat]

Sorry Bubba--

Should have looked at your profile...

Texas+Bubba...Made an ass out of me.

Not that PB Co doesn't have its share of "Bubbas", esp. west of SR-7...

Anyway, howdy neighbor!!

[Alan_Tampa]

Remnants of  Casuarina windbreaks are fairly common here in Hillsborough County.  While no longer planted for this purpose they are still doing the job.

Alan

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

There are two very large Casaurinas in the Deerfield Beach Arboretum.  There used to be many more but we got rid of them.  They provide needed shade and these particular trees don't send out many seedlings for some reason.  We will keep them as long as they are in good physical shape because before too long, you won't see this species anymore in urban South Florida.

Jerry

[Tad]

i know squat about melalucas but the AP's grow like crazy here, we had them as a kid they were fab for climbing, the last freeze burned them to the ground. not too popular anymore

[Eric in Orlando]

Around here, C. equisetifolia were killed in the 12/89 freeze. C. glauca froze to the ground. The ones still around have grown back30-40 ft. There are still a few C. cunninghamiana around, they are the hardiest of the 3, but I don't think they are as weedy. I had read awhile back that C. glauca was being grafted onto C. equisetifolia to produce a non-seeding, non-suckering AP. I have tried several other Casuarina and Allocasuarina here but all died after a year or so. I don't think they liked the wet summers/humidity.

[palmmermaid]

My parents lived in Mandarin on the river in the late 70's - early 80's.  There was an old orange grove on the property with a row of Australian pines planted around it.  These dated back to the original days of the citrus groves in that area.  I am sure they are all dead or plowed under by now.  I think it was much colder in those years.

[JimR]

My C. equisifolia in Rockport has been in the ground for two years. It is right in the way of the evening wind off the bay, but it has grown like a weed. It is now about 20 ft. tall. It was about 4 ft. when planted.

[bubba]

I personally do not like the Maleleuca or the Brazlian Peper that have run amuck in the State of Florida.That Californian Maleleuca looks great but that is not the way they look here.The Australian Pines,on the other hand, I have always enjoyed and do not understand why they are so desireous of doing away with these non-native but beautiful trees.

[Dave-Vero]

The Australian pines take up coastal sites that would otherwise be occupied by native plants that would shelter or feed quite a lot of native animals, including migratory songbirds. On beaches, Australian pine roots make nesting difficult or impossible for sea turtles and appear to encourage erosion.

Coastal restoration projects that replace Australian pines with more desirable plants have worked pretty well. Cape Florida State Park (done post-Andrew) was kind of an expensive improvisation but it's looking good now, and is stuffed with birds. Nearby Virginia Key is coming along very nicely. So are parts of South Hutchinson Island in St Lucie County. I can't think of projects in Palm Beach County offhand, although there's been some very successful dune restoration on private land, typically in front of houses. An expert who does them has found that native Coccothrinax argentata (silver palm) do nicely in the habitat. The species appears native to Palm Beach County.

[bubba]

Notwithstanding the issues raised by Dave of Vero,I believe these to be a beautiful addition to our Florida landscape.Great shade and anyone who has taken the drive through Gulfstream between Palm Beach and Delray on A1A and wants to tear those down,well let him cast the first stone.Arguments could certainly be made along these lines applicable to our rare Tropical palms and why they should be banned.In this economy,the state of Florida should appropriate it's funds towards more pressing issues. Additionally, I know of one Glades family that owes it's existence to an Australian Pine,which was the only thing a 9 year old boy could hang onto during the 1928 Hurricane ,when his 8 other siblings perished.

[richtrav]

Here I'll give it a stab. Yes certain species of both do grow in S Texas, but they do not reproduce from seed here like they do in Florida. By far the most common is Casuarina glauca, which will spread locally by root suckers but that's about it. It is very well adapted to conditions here, easier to grow than eucalyptus, and is popular for windbreaks in Cameron County. All froze to the ground in 1989 but came back quickly. I would KILL to get that dwarf prostrate form introduced - it would have absolutely incredible potential as a ground cover here (it's also sterile so no problems for FL either)

C. equisetifolia is sometimes seen here but likes sand and rarely does well on our heavier soils. C. cunninghamiana is seen here and there, much more on the Mexican side of the river, it is not quite as tolerant to the salts/alkalinity in the soil as C. glauca but still usually grows well enough here. Many froze to the ground in '89 but many others only suffered branch dieback and one or two I knew of suffered little perceptible damage at all. There are several funky looking ones that I suspect are hybrids or maybe C. cristata, which is listed as doing well here in a plant publication from the 1940s.

As far as Melaleuca, the common M. quinquenervia is seen here occasionally, it's usually nothing to write home about, a few large ones are sometimes seen where they had frozen back to their main trunks in '89 and are now good sized trees again. They occasionally get chlorotic. I have a M. bracteata at the house which does extremely well with no care at all, and my favorite is M. argentea with its silvery leaves and white spongy trunk. There are many species from Qld and NT that should do well here, they should be tried.

The only bad FL weed tree that's any problem at all here is Brazilian pepper, it will reproduce in wetter areas or near the coast, as far north as Kingsville. Some tropical trees like Ficus religiosa will volunteer here but are not generally invasive.

Edited May 14, 2008 by richtrav

[bubba]

Rich, Thank you.You just answered about 40 questions that I had for a number of years about these plants in the Rio Grande Valley in about three paragraphs!

[palmmermaid]

After seeing all the damage done by the melaleucas and australian pines in the 3 hurricanes, my husband and I set out to eliminate them completely from our property. It was back-breaking work! We live on a canal and they were growing on the bank. We removed all of the invasives but it is aconstant struggle. Brazilian pepper is the most stubborn plant I've ever had to deal with! We go around every 2 weeks with the Roundup spraying all the sprouts of all the invasive species. Eventually they won't regrow. And mowing over the ones where we can mow kills them. We planted silver buttonwoods on the canal bank and are covering the trunks in orchids and bromeliads. The displaced birds have found the buttonwoods and are making good use of them.

[bubba]

Kitty, Did the Australian Pines or the Maleleluca give you the most problems?Trying to remove Maleleluca is probably the hardest task I have seen in South Floida.They also seem to love canal banks.(water)I am convinced Brazilian Pepper would easily survive a Nuclear attack.Worst stuff in the world and no way to stop it.Driving through the State on I-95,I noticed it growing past Ormond Beach,Fla.