''Grevillea edelfeltii'', commonly known as white oak, is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

of the family Proteaceae and is native to the rainforests of north-east

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 , establishe ...

in Australia and to

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Description

In its native rainforest habitat, ''Grevillea edelfeltii'' can grow as a tree to 30 m (100 ft) high. Its hard scaly bark is grey. Both adult and juvenile leaves are 6–30 cm (5.2–12 in) long; the juvenile leaves are pinnatifid, that is, divided into five to nine lanceolate (spear-shaped) lobes on each side of the leaf, while the adult leaves are a simple spear-shape (lanceolate) and 1–6 or rarely 10 cm (0.4–4 in) wide. They are a shiny smooth green above with a conspicuous midvein, and covered in rust-coloured fur below. The flowerheads appear in spring and summer (August to December) and are greenish in bud and white on maturity.

Taxonomy

''Grevillea edelfeltii'' was first formally described in 1885 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his book ''Descriptive Notes on Papuan plants'', from material collected on the Astrolabe Range in Papua New Guinea. The

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

considers ''Grevillea edelfeltii'' F.Muell. to be a nomen nudum and gives the name of this taxon as ''Grevillea baileyana'', first collected in 1886 from the vicinity of the

Johnstone River The Johnstone River, comprising the North Johnstone River and the South Johnstone River, is a river system located in Far North and North Queensland, Australia. The headwaters of the river system rise in the Atherton Tablelands. The north ...

in north Queensland, and given the binomial name ''Kermadecia pinnatifida'' by Queensland botanist

Frederick Manson Bailey Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. Early life Bailey was bo ...

. However, when it was reclassified within the genus ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...

'', the new scientific name was found to be an

illegitimate name ''Nomen illegitimum'' (Latin for illegitimate name) is a technical term, used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as ''nom. illeg.'' Although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants uses Latin terms for other ki ...

as the combination ''Grevillea pinnatifida'' had been published for a different plant in 1843. Instead, botanist Donald McGillivray gave it the new name ''Grevillea baileyana'' in 1986, honouring Bailey and his son

John Frederick Bailey John Frederick Bailey (5 August 1866 – 19 May 1938) was a botanist and horticulturist active in Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century. Bailey became Director of the Botanic Gardens of Brisbane in 1905. He succeeded his father, Fre ...

. Common names include scrub beefwood, white oak and brown silky oak.

Distribution and habitat

''Grevillea edelfeltii'' is found in New Guinea and Australia, where it occurs in northeastern Queensland in the

McIlwraith Range The McIlwraith Range is a rugged, dissected granite plateau on Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, the McIlwraith Range covers about and lies about east of the town of Coen, and north ...

, in the vicinity of Coen, and from

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 repai ...

south to Ingham. It is found in rainforests and rainforest margins, generally on

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

-based soils.

Cultivation and uses

The fragrant white flowerheads and green foliage make this species an attractive garden plant. It prefers a compost-rich, acidic soil with good drainage. It is long-lived in cultivation and usually grows no higher than 8 to 10 metres (25–35 ft). Although noted for prolific flowering in tropical regions, plants may take many years to produce flowers in temperate areas. It is generally propagated by seed, although some success has been had with cuttings. The white or pinkish grained wood can be used in wood turning or cabinet making. Foliage of the species is valued in floral arrangements for the unusual contrast of the dark green upper surface and gold to bronze underside. The species was one of 5 selected for trialling as "native foliage products" from a total of 21 based on an evaluation of vase life, adaptability to varied climates and market acceptance. It was incorporated in the bouquets handed to medal winners at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in Sydney.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q538881 edelfeltii Flora of Papua New Guinea Flora of Queensland Proteales of Australia Garden plants of Australasia Plants described in 1876 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller