Fruits/Seeds
A dark-brown, smooth seed pod, oval in shape and slightly flattened. It is about 2 cm long.
Field Guide
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Silky Oak
Did You Know?
- Sawdust from the Silky Oak, and sometimes its foliage, can cause contact dermatitis
Named in 1830 by explorer and botanist, Allan Cunningham. The genus name Grevillea honours Charles F Greville who co-founded the Royal Horticultural Society, and the species name robusta refers to its large size.
Evergreen tree usually grows 20 – 30 m tall but can range from 8 – 40 m in height.
Leaves
Silvery green and fern-like, green on the upper surface and paler underneath. They are 10 – 34 cm long and 9 – 15 cm wide, and consist of 11 – 31 segments that are narrow-elliptic to triangular in shape. The segments are 1.5 – 5 cm long and 2 – 10 mm wide, and they give the leaf a deeply divided appearance.
Flowers
Golden yellow to orange, each one is about 2 cm long but they are arranged in pairs along the flowering stalk to give an overall length of 12 – 15 cm.
What to Observe
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First fully open single flower
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Full flowering (record all days)
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End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
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Not flowering
When and Where
When To Look
- From September through to January
- Flowers appear in spring (mainly from September to November but later in cooler areas)
- Mature seed pods appear in December and January
Where To Look
- On the coast and coastal ranges of southern Queensland and northern NSW, from Bundaberg south to Coffs Harbour, and to about 150 km inland
- Grows in most areas along the east coast but needs shelter from the cold and frost when young
- In subtropical to dry rainforests, forests with tall trees and fern-like ground cover, and sometimes along riverbanks and stream banks
- It can also be found on higher slopes amongst conifer trees and vines
What Else?
Similar Species
The Silky Oak is a very distinct tree and unlikely to be confused with anything else.
