''Orites excelsus'', commonly known as prickly ash, mountain silky oak or white beefwood, is a species of flowering plant in the 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 ...

and 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 eastern Australia. It is a medium-sized to tall rainforest tree with oblong to lance-shaped leaves, variously lobed and with teeth on the edges. The flowers are white and arranged in leaf axils in spikes that are shorter than the leaves.

Description

''Orites excelsus'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of up to with more or less smooth brown or grey bark, often with minute scales, and new shoots are covered with rust-coloured hairs at first. The leaves are elliptic, lance-shaped, egg-shaped or oblong, long and wide on a petiole long. They are usually lobed, usually have teeth regularly arranged along the edges, shiny green on the upper surface and grey to whitish below. The flowers are white or creamy-white, fragrant, about long and are arranged in leaf axils along a rachis long. Flowering occurs from winter to early spring and the follicles are boat-shaped, long and wide.

Taxonomy

''Orites excelsus'' was first formally described in 1830 by Robert Brown in ''

Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae ''Supplementum primum Prodromi florae Novae Hollandiae'' ("First supplement to the Prodromus of the flora of New Holland") is an 1830 supplement to Robert Brown's ''Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. It may be referred to ...

'' from specimens collected by Charles Fraser near the Hastings River in 1818. Frederick Manson Bailey described ''Orites fragrans'' from Mounts Bellenden Ker and Bartle Frere, now accepted as an

isonym An isonym, in botanical taxonomy, is a name of a taxon that is identical to another designation, and based on the same type, but published at a different time by different authors. Citation from that source follows: That is, the later isonyms ...

of ''O. excelsus''. Fossils of lobed leaves closely resembling juvenile leaves of ''O. excelsus'' have been recovered from the early to middle Eocene

Taratu Formation Poiana Cristei is a commune located in Vrancea County, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bu ...

near

Livingstone Livingstone may refer to: * Livingstone (name), a Scottish surname and a given name. **David Livingstone (1813–1873), Scottish physician, missionary and explorer, after whom many other Livingstones are named Places *Livingstone Falls, on the Con ...

in northern Otago, New Zealand. They have been provisionally classified as close to this species, though a resemblance to ''

Athertonia diversifolia ''Athertonia'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the family Proteaceae. The sole described species is ''Athertonia diversifolia'', commonly known as Atherton oak, athertonia, creamy silky oak or white oak. It is endemic to a small part of the ...

'' has been noted.

Distribution and habitat

''Orites excelsus'' is found in cool mountain rainforests from

Barrington Tops Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone. In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature". Part of the area has ...

in New South Wales and north to south-eastern Queensland. It also occurs on Mounts Bellenden-Ker and Bartle Frere in north Queensland. It is associated with yellow carabeen ('' Sloanea woollsii''). The species is found at altitudes above in New South Wales, and from in north Queensland.

Uses

The timber of prickly ash has been used for shingles, casks, furniture and joinery.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3012756 excelsus Proteales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1830 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)