Black sheoak

Allocasuarina littoralis is a dioecious, or less commonly a monoecious tree or shrub, that typically grows to a height of 5–15 m (16–49 ft). Its branchlets are usually up to 200 mm (7.9 in) long, rarely to 350 mm (14 in), the leaves reduced to scale-like teeth 0.3–0.9 mm (0.01–0.04 in) long, arranged in whorls of usually six to eight around the branchlets. The sections of branchlet between the leaf whorls (the "articles") are 4–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 0.4–1.0 mm (0.02–0.04 in) wide. Male flowers are arranged in spikes 5–50 mm (0.2–2 in) long, in whorls of six to twelve per cm (per 0.4 in), the anthers 0.4–0.8 mm (0.02–0.03 in) long. Female cones are on a peduncle 4–23 mm (0.2–0.9 in) long, the mature cones cylindrical, 10–30 mm (0.4–1 in) long and 8–21 mm (0.3–0.8 in) in diameter containing dark brown to black samaras 4–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long.

Allocasuarina littoralis mainly grows on sand in woodland in near-coastal areas and on nearby tablelands, sometimes in heavy clay or among rocks, and occasionally in tall heath. It occurs from Cape York in far north Queensland, through New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, to the east coast of Tasmania and as far south as Hobart.

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