Northern silky oak facts for kids

The Northern Silky Oak (scientific name: Cardwellia sublimis) is a very tall tree. It grows only in the rainforests of northeastern Queensland, Australia. This amazing tree is known for its beautiful white flowers and strong wood. People also call it names like bull oak or golden spanglewood. Its leaves are made up of many smaller leaflets, sometimes as many as 17! After the flowers, it grows woody fruits that are easy to spot outside the tree's leafy top.

Naming the Northern Silky Oak

The Northern Silky Oak got its scientific name, Cardwellia, from a famous scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He named the tree after Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, who was an important government official in England from 1864 to 1866.

The second part of its scientific name, sublimis, is a Latin word. It means "lofty" or "tall," which makes sense because this tree can grow very high! The first example of this tree studied by scientists was found by John Dallachy in a place called Rockingham Bay.

Scientists have studied the tree's DNA. They found that the Northern Silky Oak is a very old type of tree. It separated from its closest relatives about 35 million years ago!

What Does It Look Like?

The Northern Silky Oak is a giant in its rainforest home. It can grow up to 30 m (100 ft) (about 100 feet) tall! That's like a 10-story building! Even when people plant it in gardens, it can still reach half that height. The tree has thin bark and doesn't have big root supports at its base.

When the tree is young, its leaves are usually large and made of many smaller parts. These leaves can be up to 65 cm (26 in) (about 2 feet) long. Each leaf has 3 to 10 pairs of oval-shaped leaflets. These leaflets are about 9–18 cm (3.5–7.1 in) long and 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) wide.

In late spring and summer, the tree bursts with flowers. Its top can be covered in creamy-white flower clusters. These flower clusters are about 9–16 cm (3.5–6.3 in) long. After the flowers, the tree grows woody, oval-shaped fruits. These fruits are quite large, about 8–11 cm (3.1–4.3 in) long and 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) wide. Each fruit holds 8 to 12 seeds that have wings, helping them fly away in the wind.

Where Does It Grow?

The Northern Silky Oak grows naturally in the wet rainforests of northeastern Queensland, Australia. You can find it in an area between Townsville and Cooktown. It grows from sea level all the way up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) (about 3,300 feet) high in the mountains.

How Do People Use It?

The Northern Silky Oak is a great tree for large parks or open spaces. It has beautiful flowers and interesting fruits that make it stand out. It's also quite easy to grow new trees from its seeds. Some have even grown well in places like Melbourne, which is much further south.

This tree is also very important for its wood in Queensland. Its timber is easy to work with and has a lovely pattern, similar to real oak wood. Because of its attractive look, it's often used to make furniture and fancy wood coverings called veneers. However, trying to grow many of these trees on special farms hasn't been very successful so far.