Whistling Pine

Whistling Pine

Scientific name: Casuarina equisetifolia

Family: Casuarinaceae

Common names: Whistling Pine, Australian Pine, Ironwood, Casuarina

🔹 Uses

Wood → fuel, poles, furniture, tool handles

Windbreaks & fencing

Bark/roots in folk medicine

Soil improvement (nitrogen-fixing roots)

🔹 Ecological Role

Provides moderate shade

Improves soil fertility

Shelter & nesting for small birds

High carbon sequestration (fast-growing)

Coastal protection → dune stabilizer, erosion control

🔹 Fun Facts

Wind makes a whistling sound through branchlets

Not a true pine, but looks like one

Very hard wood, nicknamed “Ironwood”

Rapid growth → ideal for fuelwood plantations

🔹 Cultural Significance

In India’s coasts, protects villages from sea winds

In Pacific cultures, symbol of resilience & protection

Widely used in social forestry & coastal plantation

👉 Whistling Pine = Coastal protector, fast-growing, fuelwood & soil improve