Brown silky oak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brown silky oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Darlingia
Species:	D. ferruginea
Binomial name
Darlingia ferruginea J.F.Bailey
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The Darlingia ferruginea, often called the brown silky oak, is a special rainforest tree. It belongs to the Proteaceae plant family. You can find it growing naturally in Northern Queensland, Australia.

Naming the Brown Silky Oak

This unique tree was first described in 1899. A botanist from Queensland named John Frederick Bailey gave it its scientific name. The second part of its name, ferruginea, comes from a Latin word. It means "rusty." This is because the tree's stems and leaves have fine, rust-coloured hairs.

People also call this tree by other names. These include the rose silky oak and the rusty silky oak. In the local Dyirbal language, it was known as gurray. A more general word, gurruŋun, was used for "oak tree." This word also described other similar trees.

What Does it Look Like?

The brown silky oak is a very tall tree in its natural rainforest home. It can grow up to 30 meters (about 98 feet) high! This makes it a big part of the forest canopy. If you grow it in a garden, it will likely be much smaller.

The tree's trunk does not have large, wide supports at the base. Young leaves look different from older ones. Baby leaves are lobed, meaning they have deep cuts or divisions. They can be very long, up to 70 centimeters (about 27 inches). As the tree grows, its adult leaves become smooth and whole. They measure 20-46 centimeters long and 5–21 centimeters wide.

You can spot fine, rust-coloured hairs on the leaf veins and the underside of the leaves. These hairs also cover the stems. The tree blooms in winter and early spring. Its flowers grow in long clusters, about 14–22 centimeters long.

Where Does it Grow?

The Darlingia ferruginea lives in mountain rainforests. You can find it on the Atherton Tableland in Queensland. It grows at high altitudes, from 650 to 1300 meters (about 2,130 to 4,265 feet) above sea level.

Uses and Growing Tips

This tree could be a beautiful addition to parks. It has lovely flowers and interesting leaves. It's also quite easy to grow. You can start new trees from seeds or from cuttings.