Drooping She-oak

Allocasuarina verticillata is a small dioecious tree that typically grows to a height of 4–10 m (13–33 ft), has fissured bark, and the penultimate branchlets are woody. The branchlets are up to 400 mm (16 in) long, the leaves reduced to spreading teeth 0.7–1.2 mm (0.03–0.05 in) long, usually arranged in whorls of nine to thirteen around the branchlets. The sections of branchlet between the leaf whorls are 15–40 mm (0.6–2 in) long, 0.7–1.5 mm (0.03–0.06 in) in diameter but broader at the end near the teeth. Male flowers are arranged in spikes 30–120 mm (1–5 in) long, with about 2.5 to 4 whorls per cm (per 0.4 in), the anthers 1.2–2.5 mm (0.05–0.1 in) long. Female cones are sessile or on a peduncle up to 10 mm (0.4 in) long, and the mature cones are cylindrical to barrel-shaped, 25–50 mm (1–2 in) long and 17–30 mm (0.7–1 in) in diameter, containing dark brown, winged seeds (samaras) 7–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long. Flowering occurs in all months.

Allocasuarina verticillata usually grows in grassy woodland, sometimes forming pure stands and sometimes with eucalypts. It is also found on rocky sea coasts and on dry ridges inland. In New South Wales it occurs on rocky hills south from Cobar and on coastal shale south from Sydney. It is widespread in Victoria, extending westwards to the Flinders Ranges, Gawler Ranges, western Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. In Tasmania, the species is found near Launceston and on the east coast as far south as Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula.

On Kangaroo Island, A. verticillata is the preferred food of the glossy black cockatoo, which holds the cones in its foot and shreds them with its powerful bill before removing the seeds with its tongue.

Aboriginal Australians make use of the tree for a range of tasks. The Ngunnawal people make tools including boomerangs from the tree's timber. Mature cones are used as children's toys.