Black Sheoak

Black Sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis) is the quiet achiever among native screen trees: a narrow, fine textured evergreen that reaches about 8m in gardens while staying only 3m or so wide. It thrives on poor sandy soil, exposed coasts and frosty inland blocks alike, and its seed cones feed black cockatoos, which makes it one of the most worthwhile habitat trees a suburban block can hold.

Why you'll love it

• It feeds black cockatoos. The woody cones are a food source for black cockatoos, so a row of sheoaks is habitat, not just screening.
• Poor soil is its home ground. Sand, stony ground and hungry soils that starve other trees are exactly where it performs.
• Tall cover, narrow footprint. Around 8m of height on a 3m spread screens a two storey neighbour without claiming the whole backyard.
• Soft texture, soft sound. The fine drooping branchlets read like a conifer from a distance and sigh in the wind.
• Hardy in almost every direction. Frost, drought, salt, wind and poor soil are all tolerated, a spread few natives match.

Where it works best

Screening and windbreaks. Plant 2m apart in a single row for a tall narrow screen, or run a staggered double row at the same spacing where a paddock or coastal boundary needs real wind protection.

Coastal gardens. Salt and wind tolerance make it a front line tree within reach of spray, where it holds its colour while broadleaf screens burn.

Mass planting. Groups of three to five, still at 2m spacing, rebuild a bush block feel quickly and give birds cover as well as food.

Growing Black Sheoak in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun suits it best. It grows across subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate zones, and being frost hardy it takes cold inland winters that eliminate most coastal natives. In the wet tropics, choose a local casuarina instead.

Soil. Almost anything with drainage: sand, gravel, poor loams. Like all sheoaks it fixes its own nitrogen, so unimproved soil is not the obstacle it would be for other screen trees.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then let it stand on its own. Established trees are drought tolerant and need no routine fertiliser.

Pruning. Shape lightly while young if you want a denser screen, and remove low branches for clearance early. It does not regrow well from hard cuts into old wood, so do the shaping in the first few years.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Black Sheoak in 140mm packs of 10 for rows and revegetation, and as single 300mm and 400mm trees with a head start in height. One honest truth: a young sheoak looks wispy in the pot. It thickens noticeably once its roots are in real soil.

Plants are packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect steady growth from the first warm season. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Top bird attracting native plants
• Browse Australian native trees
• More plants for windbreaks
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants

Common questions

Will it really attract black cockatoos?

Mature trees carry the cones the birds feed on, and plantings near existing bushland have the best chance of visits. One tree is a snack stop; a row earns a detour.

How tall does it grow in a garden?

About 8m with a narrow crown in typical garden conditions. The taller figures quoted for the species come from forest trees, not suburban plantings.

What spacing for a windbreak?

Two metres between trees in a single row, or a staggered double row at 2m for serious exposure. The fine foliage filters wind rather than forcing it over the top, which is what shelter actually requires.

Is the carpet of shed branchlets a problem?

The fine branchlets it sheds build a soft mat beneath the tree that suppresses weeds and holds moisture. Most owners treat it as free mulch rather than mess, though it is worth knowing before you plant one over paving.