Grevillea baileyana, also known as White Oak, is a tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

 of the family 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,...

 that is native to the rainforests of north-east 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...

 in Australia and Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

.

Taxonomy

First collected in 1886 from the vicinity of the Johnstone River

Johnstone River

The Johnstone River is a river in North Queensland, Australia. The river has two main branches called the North Johnstone River and the South Johnstone River. The town of Innisfail is the largest settlement in the catchment and is built on the banks of the lower Johnstone River where the two...

 in north Queensland, this species was given the binomial name Kermadecia pinnatifida by Queensland botanist Frederick Manson Bailey

Frederick Manson Bailey

Frederick Manson Bailey CMG was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland.-Early life:...

. However, when it was reclassified within the genus Grevillea

Grevillea

Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees...

, the new scientific name was found to be a nomen illegitimum

Nomen illegitimum

A nomen illegitimum is a technical term, used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as nom. illeg..-Definition:...

as the combination Grevillea pinnatifida had been published for a different plant in 1843. Instead, botanist Donald McGillivray

Donald McGillivray

Donald John McGillivray in New South Wales, Australia, and is usually known as D.J. McGillivray. He is an Australian botanical taxonomist...

 gave it the new name Grevillea baileyana in 1986, honouring Bailey and his son John Frederick Bailey.

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

Description

In its native rainforest habitat, Grevillea baileyana 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.

Distribution and habitat

Grevillea baileyana is found in New Guinea and Australia, where it occurs in northeastern Queensland in the McIlwraith Range

McIlwraith Range

The McIlwraith Range is a rugged, dissected granite plateau on the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, it covers about 3000 km2 and lies about 15 km east of the town of Coen, and 550 km north of Cairns...

 and vicinity of Coen

Coen, Queensland

Coen is a small inland town on the main road heading up the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland, Australia. It is in the Cook Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Coen had a population of 253....

, and from Cooktown south to Ingham. It is found in rainforests and rainforest margins, generally on granite-based soils.

Cultivation and uses

The fragrant white flowerheads and green foliage make Grevillea baileyana 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 contast 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

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

in Sydney.