Casuarina is a large evergreen tree with a straight bole and numerous, long, slender, drooping, jointed, leafless branchlets arising from rough woody branches. The jointed branchlets, which are partly deciduous, are green and perform the functions of leaves. Leaves are minute scale like and arranged in the form of a cup at the joints of the branchlets. Bark is brown, rough, fibrous and exfoliating in longitudinal strips. Wood is very hard, but liable to crack and split. It is used as timber, poles, pulp and paper besides fuelwood. Casuarina is grown as an ornamental tree throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of India. In addition, it can be grown in agroforestry combinations involving diverse crops. Fodder grasses, other agronomic crops such as pulses, oil seeds and vegetables, coconut palms and tree crops such as teak and ailanthus are important in this respect.