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Grevillea robusta

Common name:	Silky Oak	Family:	Proteaceae
Author:	A.Cunn. ex R.Br.	Botanical references:	154, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Habitat:	Temperate rainforests[157]
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Silk-oak [B], Silkoak [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	robusta = robust
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Proteales. Protea family
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 30m by 15m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Nectar.

The flowers are one of the richest sources of nectar[183]. This can be sucked directly from the flowers, shaken into a bowl or washed out in a small quantity of water[183]. The nectar falls in showers when the flowers are shaken[144].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Dye Gum Rootstock Wood.

The plant yields small quantities of a gum resin[154].
The leaves contain rutin, though quantities are not specified[240].
Intense yellow and green dyes are obtained from the leaves[168].
This tree is one of the most important reafforestation trees in Nepal[272].
This species is more resistant than other members of the genus to root-rotting fungus, it is sometimes used as a rootstock for the more susceptible species[200].
Wood - strong, silky textured, light, easily split, durable but porous. Used for panelling, joinery, cabinet making etc[154, 156, 167]. A good fuel[272].

Cultivation details

An easy and fast-growing tree requiring a well-drained slightly acid soil and a sunny position[260]. It prefers a rich moist soil[167], but it also succeeds in dry soils. Dislikes limey soils[1, 157]. Established plants are drought resistant[154].
This species is not very hardy when grown outdoors in Britain. In its native range it does experience frosts, though these are normally light and short-lived[167]. Plants tolerate temperatures down to -7° c in Australian gardens[157] though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. It is usually grown as a pot plant in Britain, though it rarely flowers here[1].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is often grown as a street tree in suitable climates[260].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[157].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[154].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow February in a warm greenhouse. Germination is usually good[78]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, June/July in a frame[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Proteaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[156] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney 1981 ISBN 0-00-216441-8
A very readable book.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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