Athertonia diversifolia, commonly known as Atherton Oak, is a small to medium sized rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 tree of the Proteaceae

Proteaceae

Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...

 family found in northern Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is endemic to the Atherton Tablelands where it is widespread. A relative of the macadamia

Macadamia

Macadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....

, it has potential as an ornamental tree and has an edible nut.

Taxonomy

Athertonia diversifolia was first described by Queensland Government Botanist C.T. White

Cyril Tenison White

Cyril Tenison White was an Australian botanist.White was born in Brisbane to Henry White, a trade broker, and Louisa nee Bailey...

 in 1918, who gave it the specific name derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 diversi- "different" and folium "leaves", from the fact that different-shaped leaves may be found on the one plant. He placed it in the genus Helicia

Helicia

Helicia is a genus of plant in family Proteaceae. It contains the following species :* Helicia acutifolia, Sleumer* Helicia albiflora, Sleumer* Helicia amplifolia, Sleumer* Helicia australasica, F.Muell....

. The Dutch botanist Hermann Sleumer

Hermann Otto Sleumer

Hermann Otto Sleumer was a Dutch botanist of German birth. The plant genera Sleumerodendron Virot and Sleumeria Utteridge, Nagam. & Teo , are named for him....

 placed it in the genus Hicksbeachia

Hicksbeachia

Hicksbeachia is a genus of two species of trees in the family Proteaceae. They are native to northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. They are commonly known as red bopple nut or beef nut due to the bright red colour of their fruits.Species...

in 1955, where it stayed until Johnson

Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson

Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson, known as Lawrie Johnson, was an Australian taxonomic botanist. He worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, for the whole of his professional career, as a botanist , Director and Honorary Research Associate .Alone or in collaboration with colleagues, he...

 and Briggs placed it in its own genus although conceded it was related to the former genus. Thus, it is the only member of the monotypic genus Athertonia

Athertonia

Athertonia is a monotypic genus of medium-sized tree in the family Proteaceae. Athertonia diversifolia is native to the Atherton Tableland region of Far North Queensland in Australia. It is known as the Atherton Oak due to the shape of its immature leaves which resemble those of the English oak...

. Common names include Atherton almond, Atherton Oak, White Oak, or cream silky oak.

Description

Athertonia diversifolia grows as a tree 8 to 30 m (25–100 ft) tall. The trunk may be buttressed and reaches a diameter of 30 cm (12 in). Juvenile leaves are a simple oblong shape with finely toothed margins but are replaced by large lobed intermediate leaves which reach 60 cm (24 in) long. The adult leaves are variable in shape, lobed or entire, 12–20 cm (5–8 in) long and 5–9 cm (2–4 in) wide. Young branches and new growth are covered in fine rusty hair. Occurring from March to June, the flowers are cream and brown in colour and borne on 15–34 cm (6–14 in) long racemes. The lens-shaped fruit is 3.6–4.1 cm (1.4-1.6 in) long by 3.3–3.8 cm (1.3-1.5 in) wide and 1.9–2.6 cm (0.8-1 in) thick, dark blue, containing a woody-shelled nut with a large edible and crunchy kernel, which ripen in spring.

Distribution and habitat

Athertonia diversifolia is found in north Queensland from Cape Tribulation south to Mt Bartle Frere. Its habitat is rainforest, generally from 700 to 1150 metres (2100–3500 ft) in altitude. but is found at 400 m (1200 ft) at Alexandra Creek. Much of its former habitat has been cleared. The soils are deep volcanic loams.

Uses

Atherton almond is cultivated to a limited extent for its edible nut, but makes a good specimen tree in large parks and has potential as an indoor foliage plant, or as a foliage plant in the cut flower industry. The species is readily propagated by seed.

Athertonia diversifolia is the floral emblem of the Atherton shire in north Queensland.