This modest tree, found everywhere along Tasmanian coastlines and in drier parts of the interior, comes in male and female forms. Male trees have long tendrils of yellow flowers, while female trees have tiny red flowers, which develop into oblong cones.

Sheoak timber produces a very hot fire. Early settlers used its ash to whiten sheets and to make soap, and found that honeybees liked its pollen. Today it is valued mainly for its beautifully grained red timber.

Aborigines used the timber to make clubs and spears. In its sap, its green seed-pods and its young leaves, Aboriginal people found both a food and a thirst-quencher. Toothache and other pains were relieved by a gargle made from its sapwood and bark. And its wood, especially when immersed in water, attracted protein-rich grubs.

Sheoak’s ability to develop extensive root systems in poor coastal soils, including sand dunes, makes it a valuable soil-stabiliser.