''Cardwellia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of a sole described species of large trees in the plant family

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...

. The species ''Cardwellia sublimis'' (northern silky oak) is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the rainforests of the wet tropics region of northeastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. Other common names include bull oak, golden spanglewood, lacewood, oak and oongaary. The compound leaves have up to 17 leaflets. It produces white inflorescences followed by woody fruits which are prominently displayed outside the canopy.

Taxonomy and naming

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

named the genus in honour of

Edward Cardwell Edward Cardwell (178723 May 1861) was an English theologian also noted for his contributions to the study of English church history. In addition to his scholarly work, he filled various administrative positions in the University of Oxford. L ...

, who had been

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, British Cabinet government minister, minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various British Empire, colonial dependencies. Histor ...

from 1864 to 1866. The species name is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

adjective ''sublimis'' "lofty". The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

was collected by

John Dallachy John Dallachy (c. 1808 – 4 June 1871) was a curator of Melbourne Botanic Gardens and a plant collector. Dallachy was born in Elginshire, Scotland. He worked as a gardener for the Earl of Aberdeen and Kew Gardens. In 1847, he went to Ceylon to ma ...

Rockingham Bay Rockingham Bay is a bay in Far North Queensland, Australia. The bay opens onto the Coral Sea, part of the South Pacific Ocean. Adjacent to the bay is the Girramay National Park, south of which is the town of Cardwell. Goold Island is a smal ...

. Its everyday name in the local

Dyirbal language Dyirbal (also ''Djirubal'') is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken in northeast Queensland by the Dyirbal people. In 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that there were 8 speakers of the language. It is a member of the sm ...

was ''jungan'', though a more general word ''gurruŋun'' "oak tree" (also applied to ''

Darlingia ferruginea ''Darlingia ferruginea'', commonly known as the brown silky oak, is a rainforest tree of the family Proteaceae from Northern Queensland. Taxonomy and naming Queensland botanist John Frederick Bailey described ''Darlingia ferruginea'' in 1899. T ...

'' and ''

Helicia australasica ''Helicia australasica'', also named Austral oak or creek silky oak, is a species of rainforest trees from the flowering plant family Proteaceae. Its everyday name in the local northeast Queensland Dyirbal language was ''miyabur'', though a mo ...

'') was used in the

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

yalŋuyvocabulary. Molecular analysis indicates ''Cardwellia sublimis'' is a member of the subtribe

Gevuininae The Grevilleoideae are a subfamily of the plant family Proteaceae. Mainly restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, it contains around 46 genera and about 950 species. Genera include ''Banksia'', ''Grevillea'', and ''Macadamia''. Description The ...

, and is the earliest offshoot from the main ancestor of the other genera. It is thought to have separated around 35 million years ago in the late Eocene.

Description

''Cardwellia sublimis'' grows as a tall, often emergent, tree in its native rainforest habitat, reaching in height, though likely to only grow half this size in cultivation. The bark is thin, and there is no buttressing. The initial leaves are entire but juvenile leaves are generally pinnate and large, reaching long. They are composed of 3 to 10 pairs of oval to oblong leaflets, each of which is long and wide. Flowering is profuse, and the canopy can be covered with the cream-white flowerheads in late spring and summer. The inflorescences are long. The flowers are followed by woody oval follicles, which are long and wide and contain 8 to 12 winged seeds each.

Distribution and habitat

''Cardwellia sublimis'' grows naturally in wet tropics rainforests between

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

and

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

from sea level to an altitude of .

Uses and cultivation

''Cardwellia sublimis'' has potential as a specimen tree in parks, and has showy flowers and follicles. It is readily propagated from seed and has been grown successfully in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. It is a valuable timber tree in Queensland, which is easy to work with and shows an attractive grain similar to that of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

. It is used for cabinet and veneer work. Attempts to grow ''Cardwellia sublimis'' in plantations have not been very successful.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5038821, from2=Q18201402 Proteaceae Endemic flora of Queensland Proteales of Australia Monotypic Proteaceae genera Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Wet Tropics of Queensland