Grevillea robusta

A. Cunningham ex R. Brown

Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl., 24. 1830.

Common names: Silky oak
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 10.
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Trees 8–40 m, bark fissured. Leaves 10–34 × 9–15 cm; blade with 11–24 (–31) primary lobes, margins of primary lobes entire or 2–5-lobed, sometimes with tertiary division; ultimate lobes oblong to elliptic or sub­triangular, 0.5–5 × 0.2–1 cm, margins slightly recurved, sur­faces subsericeous to subvillous abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Inflorescences erect, sometimes on relatively short, lateral leafy shoots; branches 24–154-flowered, secund, acropetal, 12–16 cm. Pedicels 7.5–16 mm. Flowers acroscopic; receptacle oblique; perianth usually golden yellow to orange, rarely reddish, sometimes with red blotches inside, glabrous; pistil 21–29 mm, glabrous; ovary stipitate; style yellow-orange; pollen presenter erect, conical. Follicles compressed, ellipsoidal to ovoid, 12–16 mm, glabrous. Seeds compressed, 8–12 × 4–6 mm.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–Jul.
Habitat: Disturbed sites.
Elevation: 0–100 m.

Distribution

Introduced; Calif., Fla., Australia, also in West Indies, s Africa, Pacific Islands

Discussion

Grevillea robusta is native to the coast and coastal ranges of southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, Australia. The plants usually grow in basaltic soils in three distinct habitats: riverine gallery rainforest and rainforest margins; riverine sclerophyll communities with Casuarina cunninghamiana; and Araucaria forest and vine thickets on higher slopes.

Grevillea robusta is cultivated as an ornamental for its fernlike foliage and spectacular, bird-attracting flowers, in agroforestry for timber and firewood, and as a shade tree in tea and coffee plantations (C. E. Harwood 1989, 1992). Some people have been reported to develop acute contact dermatitis after being exposed to sawdust of G. robusta (J. G. B. Derraik and M. Rademaker 2009).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Grevillea robusta"
tetrasporangiate +  and bilocular +
Peter H. Weston +
A. Cunningham ex R. Brown +
fissured +
tripinnatisect +
secund +  and 24-154-flowered +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br />) +
Silky oak +
Calif. +, Fla. +, Australia +, also in West Indies +, s Africa +  and Pacific Islands +
0–100 m. +
glabrous +, subsericeous +  and subvillous abaxially +
pedicellate +  and zygomorphic +
ellipsoidal +  and ovoid +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
Disturbed sites. +
2-4[-20]-branched +  and unbranched +
red blotches +
persistent +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (34 cm340 mm <br />0.34 m <br />) +
9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
2-5-lobed +  and entire +
crescent--shaped +
crassinucellate +, bitegmic +  and hemitropous +
0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
reddish +, usually golden yellow +  and orange +
Flowering Mar–Jul. +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.9 cm29 mm <br />0.029 m <br />) +
Suppl. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl., +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
compressed +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
yellow-orange +
distinct +
Grevillea robusta +
Grevillea +
species +
coherent +
800 cm8,000 mm <br />8 m <br /> (4,000 cm40,000 mm <br />40 m <br />) +
sub triangular , 0.5-5×0.2-1 cm , margins +, oblong +  and elliptic +