Grevillea striata

Grevillea striata, also known as beefwood, is a tree or shrub native to all Australian states, with the exception of Victoria and Tasmania. Alternative common names for this species include western beefwood, beef oak, beef silky oak and silvery honeysuckle.[1]

Beefwood
Grevillea striata in coastal Central Queensland
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Grevillea
Species:
G. striata
Binomial name
Grevillea striata

Description

The plant exhibits a range of growth forms, from a spindly shrub ~3m metres in height to a robust tree up to 15 metres. The trunk is covered in rough, brown, furrowed bark.[2] The leaves are long, narrow and straplike, 10 to 45 cm long and up to 1 cm wide.[3]

Creamy-yellow flowers are produced in cylindrical spikes predominantly from August to December in Australia (late winter to early summer) although they may appear at other times of the year. These are followed by woody, beaked seed capsules which are about 1.5 cm long.

It is a long-lived tree. In New South Wales, a tree still stands which bears an inscription in memory of a member of Charles Sturt's expedition in 1845. James Poole, having died of scurvy, was buried near the Beefwood tree at Preservation Creek near Milparinka, and an inscription "JP 1845" was carved into the tree.[4]

  • leaves
  • bark

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810.[2]

Distribution

It occurs as scattered trees in open Eucalyptus or Acacia woodland and also in Triodia - shrubland communities.[3][5]

Uses

Sap from the tree was used by Aboriginal people as a cement and for medicinal purposes. Due to its durability and the fact that it splits readily, the timber was used in the past for fence posts and shingles. It is known as Beefwood due to the intense red colour of its heartwood.[5]

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References
  1. "Australian plant common name database". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  2. "Grevillea striata". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
  3. "Grevillea striata". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  4. Moore P. (2005). Plants of Inland Australia. Reed New Holland. ISBN 187633486X.
  5. Wiltshire, D.; Schmidt, M. (2003). Field guide to the common plants of the Cooper Basin (PDF). Santos. ISBN 1875568042.
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