''Stenocarpus salignus'', known as the scrub beefwood is an

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tree in the family

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family (biology), family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genus, genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentr ...

. Found in warmer rainforests on the coast and ranges. It is often found in warm temperate rainforest on poorer sedimentary soils, or on volcanic soils above above sea level. It was originally described by the botanist

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in 1810. ''Stenocarpus salignus'' is noticeable for the tessellated bark and the sparse foliage high in the canopy. The range of natural distribution is from Kioloa (35° S) near

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in south coastal

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, to

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(23° S) in tropical

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Description

The scrub beefwood is a shrub or small tree, occasionally up to tall and in trunk diameter. The trunk is often irregular and buttressed with dark brown scaly bark. The leaves are wavy edged, with between one and three main longitudinal veins. Leaves are alternate, simple entire, ovate to lanceolate or elliptic. Leaves have a noticeable hard point, and at the other end they gradually taper to the base. Glossy dark green above, and paler below; long, wide. There is considerable variation in leaves of this species. In October to January, white fragrant flowers form in

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

s, similar to the flowers of the related ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'' (), commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the ...

''. This is followed by the development of the seed pods which are narrow follicles, 5 to 10 cm long, green initially and maturing to a brown colour. Inside are many thin papery oblong shaped seeds around 12 mm long. Fruit matures from March to June. Fresh seeds germinate rapidly, cuttings also strike well.

Cultivation

This species is sometimes seen in specialist native nurseries in Eastern Australia; it grows well in part shade on well drained mildly acidic soils. it is less commonly grown than its better known relative '' S. sinuatus''.

References

* Floyd, A.G., ''Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia'', Inkata Press 1989, page 297
''Stenocarpus salignus'' at NSW Flora Online
Retrieved on June 16, 2009 * {{Taxonbar, from=Q7607619 salignus Proteales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland