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Alloxylon flammeum
Also called Red Silky Oak, Queensland Waratah, Orange Tree Waratah, Pink Silky Oak, Satin Oak, Queensland Tree Waratah
Alloxylon flammeum is a medium-sized rainforest tree from northeastern Queensland, grown in gardens for its showy orange-red flowers. It is grown mainly from seed and does best in well-drained, humus-rich soil low in phosphorus.
Alloxylon flammeum, commonly known as the Queensland tree waratah or red silky oak, is a medium-sized tree of the family Proteaceae found in the Queensland tropical rain forests of northeastern Australia. It has shiny green elliptical leaves up to 18 cm (7.1 in) long, and prominent orange-red inflorescences that appear from August to October, followed by rectangular woody seed pods that ripen in February and March. Juvenile plants have large (up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long) deeply lobed pinnate leaves. Previously known as Oreocallis wickhamii, the initial specimen turned out to be a different species to the one cultivated and hence a new scientific name was required. Described formally by Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1991, A. flammeum was designated the type species of the genus Alloxylon.
Although it is not widely cultivated, Alloxylon flammeum has proven to be by far the most hardy and adaptable (as well as the showiest) member of the genus Alloxylon, and has been grown successfully in as cool a climate as Victoria. It does best in a well-drained soil rich in organic material but low in phosphorus with some shelter when young. Applying mulch to the soil around the plant and extra water in dry spells is beneficial. Fertilisers high in phosphorus content can damage the plant, though fertilisers specifically for Australian native plants can be used. Yellowing of new leaves may indicate chlorosis from iron deficiency and can be remedied with iron chelate or iron sulphate. Its flowers attract birds to gardens. A large tree grows in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. It is thought that there are more plants in cultivation than there are in the wild.
Propagation is generally by seed although semi-hardened cuttings have also been successful. Cuttings can be slow to strike, and the resulting plants may have weak root systems early on and need to be supported with stakes.
A plant species of the Wet Tropics bioregion, Alloxylon flammeum is found on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland at altitudes of 700 to 820 m (2,300 to 2,700 ft) above sea level. Its range is from Danbulla to the upper Barron River, though most of its rainforest habitat has been cleared for agriculture, and it is found in protected remnants such as Mount Hypipamee National Park, Danbulla National Park, Crater Lakes National Park, Curtain Fig National Park, and Hallorans Hill Conservation Park. Found on basalt- or granite-based soil, it is a component of complex notophyll vine forest or rainforest, where it is a canopy or emergent tree. This forest, also known as Mabi forest, has an uneven canopy layer to around 45 m (148 ft) and significant scrub understory.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alloxylon flammeum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
